


Specialities

by villanellesgun



Series: Specialties [1]
Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Co-workers, Doctors & Physicians, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Hospitals, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Surgeons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:01:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 85,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24766636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/villanellesgun/pseuds/villanellesgun
Summary: Eve is an established Trauma Surgeon working at St. Thomas’ Hospital in Central London, England.Villanelle is a second-year registrar and has transferred to St.Thomas due to an incident at another hospital.Villanelle still hasn’t completely decided on her chosen specialty, despite the pressure from her peers and consultants, but there’s one thing she is sure of -- Eve.And Villanelle always gets what she wants.
Relationships: Anna Leonova/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova, Eve Polastri/Niko Polastri, Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova, Nadia Kadomtseva/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Series: Specialties [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945723
Comments: 205
Kudos: 618





	1. A Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! I love a good Surgeon AU so I thought, why not write one? Love Language (fluent in your) by Vracs definitely inspired me, go check that fic out!
> 
> Thanks to those on twitter who helped me decide on Eve’s specialty and perhaps V’s future one.. ;)
> 
> I’m aware surgical registrars (usually) have chosen their specialty and work almost exclusively within that during their training but I’ve decided to change that up as V would be too old to be a surgical intern so I’ve made her a registrar in the year after her internship. And, Eve is way past her training and is a consultant in Trauma Surgery. 
> 
> EDIT: A CONSULTANT IS AN ATTENDING AND A REGISTRAR IS A RESIDENT (or as similar to one as possible). Just for those who aren't as familiar with the UK Medical system.
> 
> So, in this AU, V will be dipping her toes within multiple specialties (as interns usually do) but she is a second-year registrar (which is a year after the internship). As you can see, I’ve tried to do a lot of research on this topic but I know I’m going to make a mistake, so if anyone has knowledge in this area, PLEASE TALK TO ME!
> 
> Also, St. Thomas is a real hospital in London so just know that the descriptions I give will almost always not be accurate to the real thing. 
> 
> Also also, since this is an AU, many characters will not fit their characters in the TV show so just be aware :)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as I’m really looking forward to writing it! Talk to me on twitter @villanellesgun with comments, concerns, questions, or chats!

**Chapter 1**

It was 7:05 AM and Eve was getting off at Waterloo Station and heading to Westminster Bridge Road. It was getting colder in London and Eve, as always, had on a signature maroon beanie, grey scarf, and a large black coat. Holding her second steaming coffee of the morning, she knew she was going to need another. And soon.

St. Thomas Hospital was only an 8-minute walk from the station, but the early mornings never got easier, despite how many times Eve has made this exact walk. She knew it like the back of her hand, which was quite helpful in this case, as she was definitely not fully awake yet. 

She had to wake up especially early today as Carolyn Martens, the Chief Surgeon, had called a mandatory meeting for all the consultants and (some of) the registrars in the conference room. 

The consultants all had their favorite registrars that they relied on for work and controlling the interns so these registrars were brought along pretty much everywhere. 

Eve’s favorite was Elena. Eve didn’t like to brag, but Elena did and she frequently said that they were an unstoppable team. And, she wasn’t wrong. They first met 3 years ago when Elena started her training at St. Thomas. They got on instantly and have been inseparable ever since. It wasn’t uncommon for consultants and registrars to be friends, but Eve and Elena were joined at the hip. 

Eve loved Elena like a little sister, despite their obvious differences. Eve wasn’t quiet, but she often got stuck in her head, primarily when it came to work. Elena, on the other hand, had very little filter. She said just about whatever she was thinking, never failing to keep Eve entertained -- and just as embarrassed. But, they loved each other no matter how different they were as people.

Elena supported Eve when she went through her divorce with Niko, which was only official 6 months ago, but the agony of going through it all lasted a whole year. It took a toll on Eve, more than she cares to admit. 

Niko wasn’t the nicest husband. He made Eve feel awful about her choice in her career and constantly belittled her and her accomplishments -- which were very impressive. 

So, when he brought up divorce, just over a year ago, Eve agreed. They cared for each other but there was no love or passion anymore. 

Elena stuck by Eve the whole time. Letting her crash on her couch for weeks, before pushing Eve to find a place of her own (in a supportive friend way). 

Now, Eve was better. Not fully recovered from the end of her 12-year marriage, but _better._ She hadn’t been with anyone since Niko, and _she_ was fine with that. But, Elena was not. 

She constantly asked Eve to go out to clubs with her, always talking about her having a one-night stand with some hot guy. Eve refused every time, but Elena continued to be more persistent, a trait Eve thought was great in her profession but not so much in her personal life. 

Eve got to Westminster Bridge Road and walked through the pedestrian entrance of the hospital. Many of her coworkers had cars, bikes, motorcycles -- any other form of transportation that was _not_ the train. And while Eve loved her own company, she enjoyed the train and the walk to the hospital. Mostly because as soon as she walked into the building, she had her choice of three different coffee stands. Three. 

She knew all the baristas quite well, so she alternated between the three stands throughout the week, and sometimes even throughout the day. 

She walked through glass automated doors and picked the closest coffee stand to the elevator, as she was already running late to the meeting. 

She smiled at the barista, him already knowing Eve’s order. When she picked up her Americano, she handed him a few banknotes, quickly shoving the change in the plastic tip jar.

As she made her way to the elevator, she heard a familiar voice coming from behind her. 

“Hugo, I do not care about the girl you shagged last night. I literally couldn’t care less!” The voice half-yelled in the public hallway.

Oh, Elena.

Eve smiled and turned around, coming face to face with Elena and Hugo. Hugo was Jess’s favorite registrar -- Jess being the consultant of pediatric surgery. For some reason, Hugo was actually good with children. Maybe because he was one himself, who knows. 

Elena and Hugo were about the same age and were both registrars of the same year so they were around each other quite a lot. Kenny too. He was Konstantin’s (the consultant of cardiothoracic surgery) favorite registrar despite being Carolyn’s son. Eve always giggled to herself whenever she thought of this. Carolyn’s son not being her favorite registrar.

When Elena and Hugo approached, Eve saw Kenny behind them, on his phone doing God knows what. 

“Morning, Eve!” Elena said, a smile spread across her face and her hand behind her back. Eve eyed her curiously.

“Tell me you got a croissant... please” Eve finally pleaded.

As soon as she finished her sentence, Elena brought her hand from behind her back up to her face, holding a small white paper bag.

“Oh.. you mean this?” Elena smirked.

Eve quickly grabbed the bag out of her hands and turned on her heel, heading for the elevator.

She pressed the elevator button and could hear Elena, Hugo, and Kenny following behind her.

“You’re welcome." Elena muttered as the door swiftly opened, revealing an empty elevator.

“Thank you, now come on, we are all late.” Eve said, holding the door open for the registrars as they entered.

“Aren’t you a sweetheart, doctor.” Hugo said, with his signature grin.

“Surgeon.” Eve said as she bit into the croissant.

Just as the door was closing, a hand from outside held it open, kicking in the elevator’s sensors and the doors started to open again.

Eve couldn’t help but roll her eyes and check her watch, she _hated_ being late.

Especially since she knew Carolyn would give her a hard time about it. 

She expected it to be some intern or even Konstantin -- who was always late but Carolyn never cared. Eve always wondered why _she_ got a hard time when she was late but Konstantin didn’t.

Except, it was neither an intern nor Konstantin. It was a woman. A beautiful woman. 

Someone Eve had never seen before because she definitely would’ve remembered. 

She had hazel eyes -- cat-like but in the most gorgeous way. She had impeccable skin with beautiful long honey-blonde hair. Eve knew it was long despite it being pulled into a low bun. Her face was… for lack of a better word, perfect. 

Eve instantly wondered why she was here -- in a hospital. She must be a model, was she here for plastic surgery perhaps? An idea that she may think will further her career? She couldn’t be, she looked too young and too pretty. If she was here for plastic surgery, she hoped that Jamie (the plastic surgery consultant) would choose not to touch her face and send her away. If he even thought about it doing an operation on her, Eve knew she would tell him off herself, despite not even knowing him that well. 

Amidst her thoughts, it took Eve a moment to register that this woman was coming into the elevator with them and Eve was standing right in the middle of it. It was obviously a delayed reaction but Eve moved to the side eventually to give both of them a socially-acceptable amount of space within the small elevator. 

Still, the woman smirked at Eve as she walked in, looking so confident in an expensive-looking beige trenchcoat -- which Eve couldn’t help but be entranced by. 

It took Eve even longer, about three floors of being in the elevator, that this woman looked briefly at the buttons, seeing the pressed button -- number 8 -- the conference room. But the woman didn’t move. She didn’t press another floor. She was going to the 8th floor too.

She noticed Elena, Hugo, and now Kenny eyeing Eve suspiciously after her delayed reaction and Eve’s not-so-subtle staring at this mystery woman. Luckily, the woman was on her phone, not caring for the other passengers of the elevator. 

Eve looked at Elena, who was looking at her, and Eve very subtly gestured at the woman by nodding in her direction. Elena shrugged, obviously not knowing who she was either. 

When they finally got to the 8th floor, which, to Eve, felt like a much longer ride than the last time she took it, they all got off. Awkwardly, the mystery woman turned left which was the direction to Carolyn’s office and Eve with the registrars turned right, heading for the conference room.

“Do you know who that is?” Eve whispered to Elena and the boys as they walked.

“No idea.” They all whispered in unison.

While walking, Eve turned her head back to perhaps catch another glimpse of the beautiful woman. To her surprise, the woman was also looking back to her, smiling, as she opened the door to Carolyn’s office and walked in.

When Eve and the registrars walked into the conference room, they were greeted by Konstantin, Jess, Jaime, Bill, and Frank. 

Bill is the General surgery consultant. Eve has known him for so many years, as they did their training together. Eve thinks that Bill knows her better than she knows herself, and that was probably true. They hadn’t talked that much recently as he is a new father and has been extraordinarily busy, but they always seem to make time for each other somehow. He also had a favorite registrar -- Nadia. 

She was about Elena’s age but Nadia didn’t seem to hang out much with the other registrars. Eve didn’t really know much about her. On a night out a few months ago, she asked Bill about her. He just said that she was Russian.

Eve didn’t ask about her after that. She could see Bill liked her enough and she seemed fine at her work so Eve pretty much forgot about her, especially since she didn’t see much of her in the OR. 

Frank was some sort of administrative worker -- not a surgeon. Eve barely knew what his job was and her, along with the rest of her coworkers, barely paid attention to him. Eve greeted Konstantin, Jamie, and Jess, sitting down across from them, next to Elena.

Eve noticed Carolyn wasn’t here. Carolyn was always on time. But as if some higher force heard her thoughts, the door opened, Carolyn coming into view with someone behind her.

As if she wasn’t already thinking about the beautiful woman from the elevator, she was now looking right at her. Again with the confident smile, looking right _at_ her or _through_ her -- Eve couldn’t tell. 

“Right, morning everyone, let’s get down to business.” Carolyn said, not looking at anyone and taking a seat at the head of the table, the mystery woman following her but sitting to her right.

No one said anything, everyone knew better than to interrupt Carolyn, but it was also 7:30 AM on a Monday, so no one could even if they wanted to. 

“I asked everyone to come today so I could introduce our new registrar, joining us from Broadgreen hospital in Liverpool.” Carolyn started, hands joined in front of her.

Eve gulped, she knew what was coming. And for some reason, she was nervous. A Trauma Surgeon -- a very successful one at that -- was _nervous._

“This is Villanelle Astankova.” Carolyn gestured with her right hand at the mystery woman who, even knowing her name now, was still just as mysterious.

  
“Hi everyone, nice to meet all of you.” _Villanelle_ said in a Russian accent, looking briefly at everyone but her eyes landed and stayed on Eve.


	2. Nice Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle is enjoying Cardiothoracic surgery, but she is enjoying flirting with Eve more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, yes I am adding a chapter 24 hours later. Try not to get used to it. But, I am trying to write more often. 
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments! I'm glad you guys like this story already! And to those on here and twitter saying they got big Grey's anatomy vibes, you are right.
> 
> This chapter is quite long but sets up for the next chapter very well. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

The meeting swiftly ended after everyone’s _very_ brief introductions. All consultants and registrars said their names and specialties and that was that. Eve _may have_ stuttered when she tried saying Trauma, but she tried to forget about that as soon as she was outside the conference room. 

Everyone, except her and Elena, had stayed in the room for free pastries and to talk to the new _too beautiful for her own good_ registrar. 

As soon as the elevator arrived, Eve rushed in pressed 2 -- the floor with the on-call rooms, changing room, and the lounge. All the surgeons called this room _‘the lounge’_ as it had one couch, a very small tv, a microwave, a fridge, but most importantly, a coffee maker. It is where most of the surgeons were before work, after work, and sometimes even during their breaks.

Eve rested her head on the back of the elevator and sighed. Why was she nervous? Why did she get butterflies in her stomach when she saw that woman in the elevator and then the conference room? She felt 17 again. And Elena could sense it.

“So.. she’s... hot, right?” Elena said looking at Eve from the side of the elevator, smirking.

Eve closed her eyes. Did Elena just know her too well or had she made it obvious?

“Yeah I guess… I mean yes she’s very pretty yes.” Eve felt like an idiot already and it wasn’t even 8 AM.

“She looks like fun, maybe we should all go out for drinks later.” Elena said, now looking away from Eve and on the descending floor numbers. 

Why was this elevator so slow? 

“Sounds fun.” Eve mumbled, not realizing the implications of what she was saying. 

The elevator doors _finally_ opened to the second floor.

Eve exited first, with Elena right behind.

“OMG yes, Eve! Finally, going out with the registrars!” Elena chippered, clapping her hands a few times. 

The Lounge was only a couple of doors from the elevator, with the three on-call rooms further down the hall. As they entered, they were met with absolutely no one. 

Thank God, Eve thought. She was done with people today. Well, not exactly, as she was a surgeon and had patients to attend to, but this morning did feel extraordinarily _long._

Eve headed straight for the coffee maker, starting to make a jug for her and the rest of her co-workers. She was just _that_ kind, but she also needed another coffee.

Elena took off her coat and hung it up in the coat closet, which was next to the couch. 

When the coffee was brewing, Eve also hung up her coat, and they both sat on the singular circular table in the middle of the room. 

“So.. drinks at Bear’s across the street tonight at 7?” Elena said to Eve while tapping the keyboard of her phone. 

“Oh uh I don’t know.. I have a few surgeries today and a big one tomorrow so..” Eve trailed off. She really didn’t have an especially busy day today or tomorrow, she just didn’t want to go out...especially not with Villanelle. 

Eve knew she would make herself friendly and welcoming but she also felt so awkward this morning, she was embarrassed and couldn’t face the new registrar, despite knowing nothing about her.

About 0.2 seconds later, Eve’s phone dinged. A text message. A group text message. From Elena.

Group: Elena, Kenny, Hugo, Eve

**Elena:** _Eve agreed to drinks ton8!! 7 @ Bear’s! We are inviting new girl!_

Eve rolled her eyes and looked at Elena. Elena, still not making eye contact, looked at her phone and just smiled.

Eve’s phone dinged again. What now?

**Hugo:** _Finally Eve! And wait.. are we walking about hot new girl from the conference room/the elevator?_

Eve clenched her jaw. Something about Hugo talking about how Villanelle looks made her very uncomfortable. 

Another ding.

**Kenny:** _Can’t wait! I’m with her now, we are coming down to the lounge with K._

Eve’s heart jumped and her breath hitched. She didn’t need another run-in with the beautiful model _who wasn’t actually a model_ but rather a surgical registrar.

Elena couldn’t help but snicker.

As if the Gods weren’t already (not) on her side, the lounge door opened. And just as Kenny said, him, Konstantin, _and_ Villanelle walked in.

“Hi, guys!” Elena said, a bit too loudly. Eve glared at her, annoyed.

“Hello, Elena, Eve.” Konstantin said in his thick accent, smiling at them both.

Kenny smiled and headed to the coffee maker, but Eve quickly got up and arrived there first.

“Don’t worry, Kenny. I got it.” She said, oddly fast, holding a hand up, stopping him.

Eve hoped fixing herself and his coffee would distract her mind from the beautiful, and still mysterious, woman who was behind her right now. 

“So, Villanelle, fancy coming with us for drinks tonight?” Elena said, looking over at the new registrar who was taking off her trenchcoat and hanging it up next to Eve’s jacket. 

Eve was always amazed at how Elena could befriend literally _anyone_. It sounded as if she had known Villanelle for years, and Eve knew they hadn’t even had a real conversation with each other yet.

“Who’s us?” Villanelle said, smiling as she sat down, in Eve’s seat, crossing her legs.

Damn it, she was friendly just like Elena. Great.

“Hugo, Kenny, me, and Eve.” Elena said, gesturing at the trauma surgeon who was somehow struggling to pour coffee into a cup.

With the mention of her name, Villanelle looked over at Eve, Eve still trying to look down and pour way too much sugar into Kenny’s cup.

Without looking back at Elena to answer, Villanelle responded with a simple “Yes.”

"Sorry, Konstantin." Elena said, trying to sound like she felt bad for not inviting him.

"Don't be, I couldn't keep up with you children, anyway." He shrugged and headed for the couch.

Eve _finally_ finished pouring the coffee and walked it over to Kenny, who was sitting on the couch with Konstantin, looking at some files.

“Thanks.” He muttered, not looking up from the papers.

She then realized Villanelle had taken her seat as she turned around, forcing Eve to sit next to Villanelle as, oddly enough, there were only three seats at the circular table.

Eve sat down, rather awkwardly, looking over at Elena and Villanelle, who were exchanging phone numbers, already. Eve couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

She used two hands to hold her coffee, as she had no idea what else to do with them. 

The silence was killing her. She hates small talk but she hated awkward silences even more.

“So, have you decided on a specialty?” She finally mustered up the strength of asking Villanelle.

Villanelle looked up, making eye contact with Eve. The most beautiful hazel eyes, Eve thought. The younger woman seemed delighted at the notion of starting a conversation.

“No, I know it's odd, but I find every specialty interesting in its own way.” She said, with her stupidly gorgeous accent.

Elena could sense Eve had no idea what to say, so she thought she’d help.

“I was the same, V. As an intern, I was literally everywhere and I loved it because every specialty was so unique. But then I met Eve, and she showed me the lovely specialty of trauma. And well, here we are.” She gave a slight gesture to her surroundings with her arms.

V? A nickname, already? Eve knew Elena could get along with anyone but this seemed too quick.

Villanelle, or V now, turned quickly to Elena when she spoke. When Elena was done, Villanelle looked back at Eve, making that deadly eye contact once again.

“She must be a good teacher, then.” Villanelle said, with a half-smile and Eve swore Villanelle’s eyes dipped for a millisecond.

Eve was at a loss for words, again. Why did Villanelle have to say things like that? They had literally just met. And why does Eve feel things when she says stuff like that? They had literally just met.

Elena, being the mind-reader she is, could sense this.. again. So she made a show of looking at her watch.

“We better get down to A&E, we are due down there soon.” Elena said, standing up.

Eve thanked Elena telepathically and stood up too, giving a slight smile to Villanelle as she started to walk away.

“See you later, Eve.” Villanelle said, dragging out the singular syllable of her name.

After Eve and Elena changed into their respective scrubs, Elena couldn’t contain herself anymore.

“What was that?” Elena half-whispered to Eve as they walked next to each other, down the hall.

“What was what?” Eve pretended to not understand the question.

“Come off it, Eve.” Elena said, rolling her eyes at her friend’s antics.

“We have patients.” Eve said, speeding up her walk, in a hope to not only end this conversation but also stop wherever it would’ve gone.

\---

Villanelle started her week in cardio with Konstantin. They had quickly bonded over their shared Russian heritage so Konstantin asked Carolyn to put Villanelle with him for the week. Carolyn had just shrugged, so he took that as a yes.

Surprisingly, Kenny liked Villanelle too. They were _completely_ different people and Kenny found that interesting, bringing excitement into their department. At least for a week.

Villanelle was loud, confident, and way too charming. Patients loved her instantly. 

Their first patient of the day was Mrs. Jameson. She was due for a coronary artery bypass later that week. While it was a relatively simple procedure, especially for a trained surgeon like Konstantin, Mrs. Jameson was still nervous. 

While they interacted with patients daily, neither Konstantin nor Kenny were _people_ persons. They cared for their patients dearly and did whatever they could to help them, but when it came down to calming patients before surgery, it was neither of their strong suits.

However, with Villanelle, everything about the atmosphere seemed to change. 

She was actually able to completely change Mrs. Jameson’s outlook on her surgery. Kenny and Konstantin were very glad to have her on cardio for the week.

But, Villanelle was not happy about moving to London. She hated Liverpool, and she was already starting to dislike London. She wanted to be somewhere like Paris or Amsterdam, not a city she found dreary, cold, and rainy. St. Thomas wasn’t too bad though, but the coffee could be better. 

However, something, or rather someone, did cheer her up. 

Eve.

When she saw her in the elevator that day, she was instantly hooked. She knew she had a type, and she didn’t care.

And running into her in the lounge was exhilarating. She wanted to talk to Eve, start some sort of conversation. And when Eve was the one to start talking to her, she was determined to get to know her. 

Obviously, there are other things she’d rather do _to_ Eve but she knew she would have to take it slow, despite how much she hated the waiting.

Villanelle loved having control and power, and she would do whatever she could to keep them. So, when she found herself being excited about seeing Eve for drinks tonight, she tried to push the feelings down. She was good at that.

She couldn’t get attached, she couldn’t get feelings.. not again. Not after what happened last time. 

\----

For Eve, the day seemed to drag on and on. It felt like years had past when the clock finally struck 7 PM.

Eve only had a laparotomy and tracheostomy today. Neither were easy operations but she had done them so many times in her years of surgery, it felt like second nature. 

Luckily, both patients seemed to be pulling through. They were both in the same car-motorcycle collision. Eve was terrified that the motorcyclist wouldn’t make it. He was quite young and the damage to his chest was very severe. 

But, Eve was outside his room re-checking his charts, and he seemed to be doing fine.

When she looked up at the clock, she sighed. Long day. And it was probably going to be an even longer night.

Due to the surgeries, she was able to keep her mind off Villanelle for the majority of the day. However, during her breaks and even now, when she should be focusing on her patient’s condition, her mind couldn’t help but wander to the woman.

Eve couldn’t explain why. Was she just excited for a new coworker? A young mind she could perhaps turn to her specialty? Or was it something else? Something more…

Interrupting her thoughts, she heard her name.

“Eve!” Villanelle shouted as she turned the corner, hair down and flowing behind her.

It took Eve a moment to acknowledge her, distracted by the long blonde hair she had never seen down before. To prevent her from being more distracted, she looked down at her files, closing the folder and handing it to the nearest nurse, who looked up at her from the computer desk.

“Villanelle, how was your first day?” Eve said, looking back at the younger woman, who was now standing in front of her.

Eve’s heart was racing. Why was she so nervous to talk to her? She was just another registrar. Eve was the consultant. Just make a normal conversation, she said to herself.

“Really great. Cardio is fun, but I’m bored of Kenny and Konstantin.” Villanelle shrugged.

Eve wasn’t sure if she was serious or making a joke. Either way, she found it hilarious. She had known both men for quite some time and she could see where Villanelle was coming from, serious or not.

Eve laughed, a sound Villanelle realized she needed to hear again and again and again.

It made her pause. She was going to start talking about something dumb Kenny had said earlier but the way Eve smiled as she laughed made her stop. She wanted to watch her, not do anything that could ruin this moment.

Eve sensed that her laugh was slightly abrupt, so she tried to cover it up by continuing the conversation.

“I mean I get what you’re saying. Those guys... they’re.. well, let’s just say they’re very focused on their work.” Eve said, pushing off the desk and heading towards the lounge.

“How was your day, Eve?” Villanelle said, catching up to Eve and walking on her left.

The way Villanelle said her name made Eve’s heart do something it hadn’t done in a _very_ long time. Eve told herself it must just be her accent. Eve loved accents.

Eve took a moment to think about her answer. Obviously, Villanelle was very sociable and could make friends quite easily, but Eve wondered how much she should actually share. Would describing her surgeries be too much information? Should she just say it was ‘fine’ and move on?

Eve went with her gut.

“It was very long. Long and hard surgeries. I’m in need of sleep or a very strong drink.” Eve smiled, forgetting for a moment that she was _actually_ going out to drinks with Villanelle that night.

“Hmm, well maybe you’re in need of other things.” Villanelle’s voice lowered, with a very not-subtle sexy undertone.

Eve swallowed, hard. Was this flirting? If it was, should she stop it? Should she do it back? She hadn't flirted with a woman in years. She hadn’t flirted with anyone in years! 

Before she needed to say something back, they arrived at the door of the lounge, already hearing Elena and Hugo from inside.

Villanelle pulled the door and held it open for Eve.

“After you.” She said, obviously looking Eve up and down as she walked through.

What the hell was happening?

“Eve! Villanelle!” Elena basically yelled, sounding somewhat shocked at the combination of the women walking through the door.

“Hi, Elena.” Eve simply said, heading to the door of the changing room, adjacent to the coffee maker.

Eve walked through, leading to a room with a few lockers and a wooden bench. It was a small room where surgeons store their clothes and change in and out of scrubs. 

Everyone knew who was in there and when, as you had to pass through into the lounge to get in. So, there is this unspoken rule of one person goes in and one person goes out among the St. Thomas surgeons, just to keep everyone’s privacy whilst they changed. Eve never understood why they didn't just put a lock on the door but she just chalked it up to Carolyn not caring enough.

This "rule" had been mentioned to Villanelle this morning when she asked where she could change into her scrubs. Except, it may have “slipped her mind” as she walked into the room before Eve had left, finding Eve in a bra and jeans.

Villanelle considered Eve lucky as she could’ve walked in a few seconds earlier, before Eve put her jeans on. 

“Oh god hi” Eve said, hastily putting on an oversized white t-shirt. She was wearing a black bra. Villanelle definitely stared.

“Oops, so sorry, I forgot this was a room for one person!” Villanelle said, the acting deserving an Oscar. She turned around to face the door, turning faster than she'd have liked to. 

“It’s fine.. I don’t really understand that rule anyway.” Eve said, instantly realizing what that sounded like she could have been insinuating. 

“Me either.” Villanelle said as she turned, making a show of walking past Eve to the furthest locker and opening it. It contained two pairs of light-blue scrubs, two black jeans, and two button-down shirts. 

Eve instantly questioned how she got multiple pairs of clothes here already, it was literally her first day.

This woman kept surprising her, and she had a feeling she wouldn’t stop.

Eve rested one foot on the bench as she started to tie her shoes. Villanelle then, knowing Eve would see her, took off her short-sleeve scrub shirt, revealing a lot of skin and a white bralette. 

Eve swallowed, again. Of course she was wearing a bralette, of course she had amazing breasts, of course she had abs. Of course. This really wasn’t fair. 

Eve looked up but quickly caught herself and looked down. Heavily focusing on tying her shoes. In..out..through the loop…

“Which top do you like?” Villanelle said, turning to Eve, still without a shirt on, but holding two button-downs -- one white and one maroon. Both were silk and very expensive looking.

Villanelle was staring at Eve, smirking, as she saw Eve look down at her breasts and _then_ to the shirt options.

Eve scolded herself, why did she have to look?

“That one.” Nodding her head in the direction of the maroon shirt.

“Thank you.” Villanelle said as she threw the white shirt in the locker, and slowly put on the maroon shirt. She really took her time when doing up the buttons.

After what felt like an eternity, Villanelle did the final button, or what she considered the final button, though there were still three more undone, leaving little to the imagination. 

She had to know what she was doing, right?

“Ready?” Eve said, pulling her purse onto her shoulder.

“Yup.” Villanelle said, popping the p, grabbing her own purse and following Eve out the door.

When they exited, Kenny had arrived at the lounge. He and Hugo were talking about sports or something, with Elena in between them, not caring about a single word they were saying.

When the boys realized Eve and Villanelle were back in the lounge, they turned toward them.

Villanelle walked across the room and opened the closet to grab her coat.

Eve instantly saw Elena give her a knowing look, not attempting to hide her smirk.

“Let’s go get wasted!” Hugo said, Eve hoping he was joking. It was Monday. They all had to work tomorrow.

Eve sighed and just shook her head, not trying to hide the fact that she did _not_ want to get wasted. 

She looked over at Villanelle, who had just pulled down Eve’s jacket from the closet too. She saw Villanelle look at her, up and down. Again. 

Villanelle stalked over to her, handing her the jacket. 

“You look good in those jeans. You have a very nice body.” Villanelle said, biting her lip, then followed Elena and the boys out the door.

Eve knew it was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you liked this!  
> The Lounge (and the changing room and the on-call room) are 1000% based on the rooms for the surgeons in Grey's. No shame. I have to be inspired from somewhere, right?  
> And I know there's a lot of Eve POV right now but I promise, V's is coming!  
> Please leave comments, concerns, suggestions or anything. Twitter: @villanellesgun


	3. Shepherd's Pie & Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drinks @ Bear's with Eve, Villanelle, and the other registrars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT UPDATE: So HUGE thank you to user hhm in the comments for letting me know that in the UK, an attending is called a consultant, and a resident is called a registrar/those terms are used for those at the same level of practicing medicine. 
> 
> So, I will be using these terms from now on. I will try and go back and edit them from the past chapters, for continuity. I hope this doesn’t make it confusing for anyone!!!
> 
> Anyway, this is a slightly shorter one but hope you like it anyway.

**Chapter 3**

When Eve and the registrars walked out of the glass automated doors, Eve was instantly struck by the cold air of the London evening. She pulled her jacket closer and crossed her arms around her, in hopes of retaining heat.

Elena started talking about something  _ she  _ was interested in as she was walked in between Hugo and Kenny.

This left Eve.. and Villanelle… walking  _ together  _ behind them.

Elena always knew when Eve felt awkward or uncomfortable, some sixth-sense she had, and she  _ almost  _ always helped Eve out of the situation. This wasn’t one of those times. 

Eve wanted to say something. Anything. She had plenty of things to talk about. Ranging from her surgeries of the day to what she had for lunch. She could talk about anything, she was a good conversationalist. But she was scared. Scared of Villanelle’s reaction. 

Eve had always prided herself on not caring what people thought of her, she was a woman of a racial minority in a male-dominated field. Caring about what people thought of her was something she had gotten over a long time ago.

Except, she did care. She cared about what  _ Villanelle _ thought. For some reason. 

She barely knew the woman. She  _ didn’t  _ know the woman. She found this woman beautiful, obviously. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen. But, she could sense there was so much more under her physical appearance. The way Villanelle acted around others, how she spoke to others -- patients or co-workers. She could see she was  _ different _ . 

Eve has always loved investigating. It was her passion and she used this skill in her work, social, and personal life. When there was a problem set in front of her, she would fix it. If there was a puzzle, she would solve it. It is one of the reasons she was such a successful surgeon. 

So, when Eve had this gut-feeling that Villanelle was more than had met the eye, she was determined to find out more.

Villanelle, conveniently enough, was the same. Except, Villanelle was  _ obsessive.  _ She could be completely and utterly fixated on something one day, and then not caring about it in the slightest the next day. There were very few things that she focused on for more than 24 hours. 

Actually, there had only been two things. Anna and surgery. And surgery wouldn’t hurt her the way Anna had.

Now, there was Eve. Beautiful, gorgeous, talented, and successful Eve.

Villanelle had been infatuated with Eve for 12 hours. So, she had 12 hours left until she knew it whether it was a short period of lust or more…

Villanelle desperately hoped it was lust.

\-------

The group crossed the street and arrived at Bear’s. A very normal looking pub which was run by Jamie’s friend, Bear. Hence the name.

Eve had only been to this bar once or twice, the few times Elena was actually successful at getting Eve to go out. Three times a charm, Eve thought.

They all walked through the doors, instantly greeted with loud Uni students, bad music, and Bear.

“Hey, it’s the surgeons!” He said to no one in particular, wiping down a glass at the bar.

“Hey Bear, what’s going on?” Hugo said, walking up to the bar with Kenny, leaving the girls behind them.

“Not much mate, just an average Monday innit?” Bear replied, setting down the glass and resting his hands on the countertop.

“Yeah I get you... so I offered to buy everyone drinks tonight, could we get a round of beers?” Hugo said, with Eve sighing in relief when he didn’t order tequila.

“Comin’ right up, mate. Your normal booth is free so I’ll bring ‘em over there in a few.” He said, walking down the bar to prepare the drinks.

Hugo, Kenny, and Elena were regulars at this bar. They went all the time. And as beautiful young surgeons, it was very easy to meet new people here so near to the hospital.

Eve shifted awkwardly as she stood next to Villanelle. When Eve looked over at her, she could see the younger woman was looking around the room, scanning it, but not looking for anything in particular. Eve thought this act, as simple as it was, very fascinating. It felt so mature for someone of her age. 

Eve was then reminded of Villanelle’s age. It made her panic. While she didn’t know it exactly, she could easily guess. She was  _ way  _ younger than Eve. 

So she knew that whatever she thought she could be feeling, needed to stop. Now. Before it got too far.

When the boys came back from the bar, Hugo led them all over to their booth. It was in the back of the bar, having the most privacy as it was the furthest from the rest of the booths. Eve liked it and hated it. 

There were no distractions which meant she could try and focus on her friends but it additionally meant she would also have to concentrate on Villanelle. Nothing available to interrupt their conversations.

They all sat down, Elena, Hugo, and Kenny all piling into one side of the booth. So Villanelle and Eve were going to sit next to each other on the opposite side. Eve could kill Elena right now, as she smirked at Eve when she slid into the booth, with Villanelle next to her.

“So, Villanelle, how was your first day?” Kenny asked, picking up a pile of peanuts from the middle of the table.

Villanelle smiled, she was really trying to enjoy this company. She never had many friends, let alone close ones, so making friends was quite refreshing. And, since she was so close to Eve, she couldn’t help but smile.

“It was great, Konstantin is great at cardio, I can see why you like him.”

“Yeah, I think my mom always hated the fact he liked me so much, and then me going into cardio pissed her off more, so really it’s a win-win.” Kenny replied, shrugging. 

His relationship with his mother was a complicated one, to say the least.

“Damn, Kenny, what about poor Carolyn.” Hugo said, sarcastically. 

“Oh you stop it.” Elena said, pushing an elbow into his side, Hugo holding his side, faking pain.

“What about you, Eve? Long day? You look tired.” Hugo said, still holding his side.

“Aw thanks Hugo, you’re always looking out for me.” Eve rolled her eyes.

She noticed then, from the corner of her eye, that Villanelle was looking at her. She swallowed, trying to think of words to say next.

“But, yeah, long day, I really do need a drink.” She said, probably a bit too truthfully.

Villanelle was still staring at her. However, Eve could see that her eyes were moving. They were looking at  _ Eve’s _ eyes, her nose, her mouth, her eyes, her hair, her mouth. 

Usually, it would bother Eve when someone looked at her for this long, without saying anything, but Villanelle staring at her -- admiring her-- made her feel so confident.

Just then, a waitress arrived, carrying five beers on a tray and setting them down. She stood straight and pulled out a small notepad.

“Anyone want anything else?” She said, her gaze landing on Villanelle, who was  _ not  _ looking at Eve anymore, instead, she was looking up at this pretty waitress. 

This waitress didn’t look  _ exactly  _ like Eve. But, they had their similarities. Short, petite, curly dark hair. 

Eve was now looking at Villanelle. Well, Villanelle’s profile. She found herself wishing Villanelle was looking back at her again so she could look into her hazel eyes. 

Being able to sense  _ something  _ going on, Elena clears her throat, taking Eve out of her trance.

“He and I will have the fish and chips.” She said, gesturing between herself and Kenny.

“I’ll have the bangers and mash.” Hugo added.

The waitress finally stopped looking at Villanelle, and looked at Eve, waiting for her order.

Eve forgot to even look at the menu, so when she ordered, she hoped it was actually on the menu.

“Shepherd’s pie for me.” She said, feeling relieved when the waitress wrote it down.

“And for you?” The waitress’s eyes were back on Villanelle. Villanelle’s gaze seemingly never had left the woman.

Villanelle bit her lip, furrowing her brows, in thought. Obviously, she hadn’t looked at the menu either. 

“Surprise me.” She said, widening her eyes when she handed the unopened menu to the waitress. 

The waitress’s hand went over Villanelle’s and lingered there for what, to Eve, felt like an eternity. 

Eve stared at the waitress’s expression. The waitress smiled, with her eyes lowering then rising, all whilst looking at Villanelle’s face. Finally, Eve thought, the waitress walked away.

Eve wasn’t the only one to pick up on this.

“Do you two know each other?” Elena said to Villanelle, briefly looking back to the direction of where had the waitress had gone. 

“Nope.” Villanelle shook her head, popping the p.

It made Eve feel reassured when Elena said this, she thought she was going crazy. She wasn’t overanalyzing  _ every _ part of that interaction. She wasn’t jealous. She just wanted to focus on the conversation between her co-workers.

“So, tell us about yourself, Villanelle.” Eve finally said, in hopes of forgetting about that waitress and learning more about the woman next to her. 

She definitely wasn’t jealous.

“Ok, Eve, but as long as you tell me about yourself afterwards.” Villanelle said, looking at Eve, smirking.

Eve didn’t know what to say. Such a simple sentence felt it had so much meaning behind it. Why did Villanelle want to know more about her? Was she just being friendly, just getting to know her co-workers? 

“Deal.” Eve nodded, quickly. 

As if the eye-contact was too much for her to handle, Villanelle looked down, then across the table to the other registrars.

“Well, I was born in Russia, hence the accent. I moved to Edinburgh a few years ago then Liverpool a year and half ago. Did my internship at Broadgreen, then decided to move here for my residency.” She said, trying to brush over that her timeline highlighted that she left Liverpool midyear.

“You left Liverpool in the middle of your second year?” Hugo asked, Villanelle clenched her jaw. 

Who knew he could actually listen to people when they talked?

“Yes. I just felt I could be happier somewhere else. I also had met Carolyn briefly when she had visited Broadgreen on a consult about a year ago. So, when I called her, she said she would be happy to have me on board.”

This wasn’t  _ completely  _ a lie. She did meet Carolyn a year ago, while she was an intern. But Villanelle didn’t call her asking for a job. The chief surgeon at Broadgreen did, asking Carolyn for a favor. 

“That’s great. You liking London so far?” Elena said.

Eve didn’t believe Villanelle for a second. Not that Villanelle seemed untrustworthy, but Eve knew Carolyn. She wasn’t  _ happy  _ to have anyone. 

What made Villanelle so special that Carolyn jumped at the opportunity to have her? Or was Villanelle lying? Eve loved investigating. And she was  _ going  _ to investigate.

“Yeah, I mean it seems nice, although I still have no idea what to do for fun. And, my apartment is still half-filled with boxes.”

“Oh god, I know how it feels to be in a new city. I can always show you around and help you unpack.” Eve said, mentally cursing to herself as she heard what she just said.

Villanelle smiled wider than Eve had ever seen before, her smiling reaching her eyes.

Villanelle couldn’t believe her ears. She tried to wipe the smile away, not giving too many emotions away, but she couldn’t.

Shit. Feelings. Feelings she couldn’t push down anymore. 11 more hours, she thought.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, Eve.”

Villanelle saying her name was a sound Eve really  _ really  _ liked to hear. Eve thought it was just the way her accent curled around the syllable, but Eve knew it was more than that. But she was not going to admit that.. yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hoped you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> I have an idea for the next chapter but you might get mad at me, but it could be good for development... guess you'll see!
> 
> Twitter is @villanellesgun if u want to chat!
> 
> And again, big thanks to all the kudos and comments, especially those that are helping me make this story more realistic!


	4. She's Got A Thing for Bathrooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the night at Bear's and the interesting next morning...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter, hope you enjoy!  
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments, they made me so so so happy!

**Chapter 4**

What was Eve doing? She was now on her third round of shots and she had to work tomorrow. They all did.

When Bear brought a round of shots as a “congrats on being surgeons” (his words), Eve just being polite when she had one. 

The second and the third were also just her being polite.

“Next rounds on me!!” Hugo says jumping up and stumbling to the bar. 

Villanelle looked back at the bar and Elena gave Kenny a look.

“I should go stop him. I think he’s actually about to fall over.” Kenny mumbled, stepping up from the booth and heading to Hugo, who was saying something to a few annoyed girls at the bar.

Villanelle slowly got up as well. She had just as much to drink as the rest of them but didn’t seem drunk whatsoever.

“I’m just going to head to the restroom.” She said, looking at Eve.

They’ve had a nice conversation, everyone getting to know Villanelle while also telling Villanelle about themselves. 

Villanelle talked about Russia, Edinburgh, and Liverpool and how different they all were. She also spoke about other places she had been. She talked about Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin. She  _ loved _ to travel, Eve learned. 

Villanelle could do the  _ perfect  _ Scottish, Scouse, and French accent too. She did all of them for the table when Hugo said he thought she was lying. Eve swallowed because she  _ really _ liked accents. If Eve didn’t already know she was attracted to the woman, she definitely knew then. 

Elena talked about how her dad was also a doctor and how he motivated her to be a surgeon, Kenny  _ briefly  _ talked about his mom, and Hugo… well no one really listened to Hugo after he mentioned Oxford for the seventh time.

Eve didn’t know how to bring up her father passing after a car accident and how it inspired her to be a trauma surgeon. She wanted to do her best to prevent someone from going through that same pain she went through when they lost someone so close to them. 

She found that this part of her life killed the mood and caused people to pity her so she tended not to discuss it. Also, she cried almost every time she brought up her dad so Elena was the only one at the table who knew about him.

Instead, she talked about her family vaguely and how they grew up in Connecticut and that her family was very supportive of her being a surgeon. Throughout this, she looked almost exclusively at Villanelle. 

She told herself it was because they were there for  _ Villanelle _ and for  _ her  _ to get to know them better. However, she really just wanted to look at Villanelle. 

Eve could also tell she was actively listening, giving nods and noises of agreement throughout her stories. Her eyes were also laser-focused. Yet, Eve never felt glared at. She felt the opposite. She felt admired, appreciated.

When Eve spoke, all Villanelle thought she could do was stare. The way her eyes lit up when she talked about Connecticut, the way her eyebrows bunched up when Kenny asked her a question, the way she smiled when Elena made a joke. All of it, Villanelle was so focused.

When Villanelle walked to the bathroom, Eve watched her. This young woman was intoxicating and they had only met  _ today. _ Eve could barely believe it when she found herself thinking about this woman throughout the entire night. 

It felt they had known each other for years, the way they acted around each other and around the others. It was a feeling Eve never had before. She had never connected with someone  _ this _ quickly.

“Youuuu likkee heerrrrrr.” Elena said, in a high-pitched tone while poking at Eve’s forearms.

“She’s just… intriguing.” Eve said, thinking she just gave the understatement of the year. Villanelle was more than intriguing but Eve had yet to discover what she was.

“Mmmhmm.” Elena said, making a show of rolling her eyes.

With some courage, probably from the alcohol, Eve got up and headed to the restroom too.

“Ooo get her girl.” Elena said. She was very drunk.

It was then Eve’s turn to roll her eyes.

Eve  _ did  _ have to use the restroom but she knew she’d run into Villanelle. She hoped for it, actually. And they’d most likely be alone, in a room, together. That’s why she needed a lot of courage to walk through the restroom’s wooden door.

She walked down the thin hallway to the women’s bathroom, slowly. It was the alcohol, she really wasn’t at her best. The wooden door was one of those that swung back and forth, to ease the foot traffic on busy nights.

When Eve arrived at the door she could hear noises coming from the restroom. At first, she had no idea what was making the sound but then she realized what it was. Moans. A woman’s moans. They couldn’t be Villanelles, the voice was too high. But then again, Eve wouldn’t really know. 

Eve, unfortunately, didn’t stop at the door. Before she could even think, she swung the wooden door open. She came face-to-face with Villanelle’s back which was on the other side of the room, pressed against the body of the woman who Eve recognized to be their waitress. Villanelle’s hand was in the other woman’s pants with her mouth on the woman’s neck. Eve was right about one thing, it  _ was _ the waitress who was moaning. 

Instantly, the waitress noticed Eve but Villanelle hadn’t seemed to. At that point though, Eve didn’t care. She quickly turned around and rushed back to the booth as fast as she could, feeling instantly sober.

She couldn’t be jealous, right? It wasn’t her place. Villanelle was young and beautiful, she could do whatever -- whoever -- she wanted. Eve had no right to think anything of it. Except, she did thinking something of it. She  _ was  _ jealous. Shit, Eve thought. This isn’t good.

When Eve got back to the booth, Kenny and Hugo were back. Elena and Kenny were basically carrying Hugo upright.

“I think it’s time for him to go home.” Kenny said, tilting his head to gesture to Hugo, who was half unconscious.

“Yeah, me too.” Eve said, trying to forget what she had seen.

\------

When Eve got to her apartment, she took off whatever makeup she had on, took a shower, and crashed into bed.

“Fuck!” She said, into her pillow.

\-----

Villanelle hadn’t expected Eve to come into the restroom. Honestly, she didn’t think  _ she’d  _ still be in the restroom. When she first walked in, the waitress was in there and it just kind of happened. These kinds of things do.

She thought that maybe, just  _ maybe,  _ because the waitress looked similar to Eve, she could get Eve out of her head. She could know for sure that this obsession she had for the day, was just that. A short-lived, temporary, transient, obsession. Nothing serious. No feelings. 

Well, luckily for Villanelle, when she heard and then saw Eve through the corner of her eye she realized there  _ were _ feelings. She wouldn’t have cared if it was anyone else who walked in, but, because it was Eve, she felt  _ guilty.  _ An emotion she didn’t feel often and one she  _ really _ didn’t like to feel.

Now, as she woke for work the next morning, she knew that there were now three things she had focused on for more than 24 hours: Anna, surgery, and Eve.

\-----

Eve made her way to work, half-asleep and half-hungover, mostly relying on muscle memory to walk herself to the hospital. 

When she got there, she picked a coffee stand and relayed her order to the young barista. She waited next to the stand for the coffee, scrolling through something on her phone. 

She heard heels tapping on the white tiles with the sound stopping at the front of the coffee stand. It was only when she heard the Russian accent, she looked up.

“One vanilla latte, please.” Villanelle said, not that loudly but Eve’s ears couldn’t help but be pained -- just a little. Why did she drink last night? 

The memory of Villanelle fucking the waitress in the bar’s bathroom came rushing back to her. Unwelcomed. 

“Good morning, Eve.” The blonde said, looking at the other woman. She looked perfect, as always. Not hungover, not tired. She definitely didn’t need the coffee.

Villanelle has to admit that when she walked into the hospital, she wasn’t going to get a coffee. But when she saw Eve at the coffee stand, she decided that she might as well try the different stands in the hospital. Just to find her favorite one.

Eve’s americano and Villanelle’s latte were suddenly placed on the stand, the barista relaying their orders aloud. They both picked up their respective cups.

“Morning. How are you?” Eve finally said, looking down at her cup as they headed to the elevator. Shit, the elevator. Not again.

“I’m pretty good. Bear’s was fun, right? Even though that name is quite stupid.” Villanelle grinned, pressing the up elevator button.

She wanted to bring up last night and gauge Eve’s reaction. Did Eve even care about that waitress? Was all this one-sided?

Villanelle hoped she cared. It would show that maybe she had a chance with Eve. A chance for what, Villanelle had no idea. Sex? A relationship? Something in-between?

Villanelle had never been a real relationship before. She never felt the need to or even want to. She never met anyone she could see herself with for more than a night. Other than Anna, but that was different. She couldn’t bear thinking about Anna for too long or she’d have to go punch something.

So, when she asked about the bar, she wanted Eve to feel  _ something.  _ Preferably, jealousy. She wanted to be wanted. Wanted by Eve. Because Villanelle wanted  _ her _ .

And, Eve did. She was  _ very _ jealous. More than she even realized at the time. But, as Eve thought about what happened more and more, it made her realize she could never  _ be  _ with Villanelle. 

Not only was she almost 20 years older, but she was her supervisor. She was meant to be  _ teaching  _ Villanelle, not whatever else Eve was thinking about doing with her. 

Eve barely slept the night before. All she could think about was Villanelle. What she was feeling, why she was feeling it, and why it had to stop. 

Luckily, St. Thomas was a pretty big hospital. She could avoid a surgical registrar, right? Probably not, but she could try.

On the other hand, Eve was a kind person. She knew  _ exactly  _ what Villanelle was feeling. Coming in as a new registrar, into a big brand-new city and hospital, with no friends. It would be cruel to try and befriend her one day and then try to avoid her the next. She would just have to find a balance. Keep her at a distance, if you will.

If she continued to grow closer to Villanelle, her feelings, whatever they were, would increase. But, if she could keep her at a distance, maybe -- just maybe-- her feelings would go away. She could live with that. 

“Hah yes his name is quite...uncommon... but yea the bar erm it was nice.” Eve chuckled at Villanelle’s brutal honesty but her mind kept going back to that damned bathroom. 

Finally, the elevator doors opened. These elevators really needed to be quicker, especially in a hospital, Eve thought. 

“After you, Eve.” Villanelle smirked, holding the door open, reminding Eve of the lounge doors yesterday. Did Villanelle check her out again? Oh god. This really wasn’t good.

When they got in, Eve realized there was no one else in there. Just her luck. On a crowded morning in a hospital no less, there was no one else in the elevator? Why was the universe against her?

When they got in, they were standing right next to each other. They couldn’t have stood further apart? They had the  _ whole  _ elevator. 

Villanelle never really believed in personal space when it came to beautiful women she likes.

Eve tried so so desperately not to look at Villanelle. But they were just so close in that stupid cursed elevator. 

When she turned her head, as subtly as possible, she mentally rolled her eyes. Of course, Villanelle looked good in the fluorescent elevator light. How was that even possible?

Eve tried to look away but she couldn’t. She scanned Villanelle’s face, the freckles around her eyes, her long eyebrows, her lips. God, this was  _ definitely  _ not keeping a distance.

Just when she thought she got away with looking at her, Villanelle turned to her. Except she didn’t just turn her head, she turned her whole body towards her. Eve swallowed and her breath hitched. She hoped Villanelle hadn’t heard that. 

Villanelle’s smirk was filling her whole face at this point. She could feel Eve’s eyes when they were on her and now she knew. Eve wanted her too. This was going to be fun.

“So Eve, my place is still filled with boxes and since you offered so graciously last night, would you like to help me unpack and show me some of London tonight? After work?” Villanelle grinned, looking Eve up and down. 

Why did she have to do that? She couldn’t have asked normally? 

Eve took longer than she should’ve to make words come out of her mouth but eventually her brain took over.

“Yep sure sounds good, great.” Eve sputtered out, bumbling over her words. This was  _ not _ fair and Eve was very determined to make Villanelle feel how she was feeling.

“Great. See you then, Eve.” Villanelle said, leaning closer (which Eve didn’t think was possible), and then she swiftly walked out of the elevator and down the hall. 

Eve froze for a moment, before being forced back into reality when the elevator doors started to close before she could step out. What the hell was she going to do? Why did she offer to help her unpack and show her London? She was trying to keep her distance and now she was going to her apartment. Tonight.

Eve put her head in her hands. Her day hadn’t even started yet.

“Morning Eve! What’s up?” Elena skipped up to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this! I loved writing it lol  
> Thanks again for all ur support, it makes my heart happy.  
> Anyway, comment away or talk to me on twitter :) @villanellesgun


	5. Keeping A Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Villanelle in another elevator...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok-- so I really tried to research Trauma surgeons/specialists in the UK and how the system works but it was hard to understand. I tried to make it as realistic to what I thought.  
> If it doesn’t work like this/there are big errors, PLEASE TELL ME!  
> Same with the surgery stuff. I have a little knowledge and have been doing research but if there are big errors, please let me know! I want this story to be as accurate as possible.
> 
> THANK YOU FOR ALL UR COMMENTS GUYS, THEY MAKE ME SO HAPPY!
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

Eve didn’t tell Elena _everything._

She just mentioned that she was alone in _the_ elevator with Villanelle who asked her to show her parts of London since she was new to the city. She chose _not_ to mention her being asked to come over to Villanelle’s apartment and help her unpack.

Elena _tried_ to act shocked. She knew Villanelle would take Eve up on her offer as soon as the words left her friend’s mouth last night. But, she _was_ shocked at the new registrar’s efficiency. 

After changing into their scrubs, they went to the Trauma center, with Eve at the main desk, looking over files on her patients. After a while, she heard the ambulance arrive. 

Usually, paramedics called the desk to let them know they were on the way so they would meet them outside. 

Most of the time, neither Eve nor Elena were in the trauma center when they called. There were usually some emergency medicine specialists there to meet paramedics. They were paged when surgery was necessary and immediate, and then they would bring their patient into the OR. 

But, Eve and Elena gravitated toward the Trauma center because they were always called in at one point anyway. They also thought it made more sense to be there when a patient arrived in the ambulance. They could assess their injuries and make a decision to operate or not, wasting no time.

This incident must’ve happened close to the hospital, leaving the paramedics no time to call the hospital. Eve was already on the go, followed by Elena as they rushed outside to meet the paramedics. 

The ambulance swerved up and stopped in front of the glass doors. The yellow rear door of the ambulance swung open and there were two paramedics in the back, one on each side of the stretcher.

They pulled down the stretcher, carefully, revealing a middle-aged man wrapped in bandages with an oxygen mask on his face. 

“Hit and run two blocks from here, BP is 80/40." The older paramedic said as Elena came around Eve, assisting them in pushing the stretcher inside.

The first thing Eve thought was that this was just like what had happened to her father. Eve pushed that image out of her mind as quickly as she could. She focused on analyzing the patient. 

There was a high probability of the heart muscle being bruised due to how the car struck him. His heartbeat was irregular. His legs, specifically his right, was definitely broken. She really didn’t want to amputate, but she felt she could save it. She also needed to avoid hypovolemic shock, especially if his heart was as damaged as she thought. She told Elena to stay at the center, in case any other emergencies came.

“He has arrhythmia so we need to get him into an ECG. Call Cardio!” Eve yelled, gesturing at the head nurse to call Konstantin. 

Little did she know, Konstantin was already in surgery and wouldn’t be done for hours.

The staff made their way to the ECG, but his vitals kept dropping. His pulse and breathing rate lowered. He wouldn't make it to and through the ECG before he crashed. Eve had to make the executive decision.

She told the staff to start setting the man up for surgery in OR 2. This patient's life was in her hands. Eve headed to the OR and was scrubbing in when Villanelle opened the door, Kenny following behind her.

“You called?” She said, strolling in and starting to scrub in next to Eve.

“Where’s Konstantin? I called _him_.” Eve said, regretting how mean she sounded. Villanelle didn’t really pick up on it.

“Surgery. He won’t be done for a few hours so he sent us.” Kenny said, standing next to Villanelle to scrub in as well.

“Ah ok, well we have a big injury to the chest and legs. He has arrhythmia so it could be a possible myocardial contusion and he is definitely close to going into hypovolemic shock. His vitals are dropping as we speak.” Eve said, looking down as she scrubbed her hands, over and over again. ‘Keeping her distance’ wasn’t going so well.

Villanelle couldn’t help but be impressed. Eve wasn’t even in cardio. Granted, neither was she, but Eve was so _extremely_ smart. And Villanelle found it _really_ hot.

“Alright, let’s get in there and see.” Kenny said, walking towards the OR.

Eve closed her eyes and sighed. She needed this man to live. It couldn’t be like her father. It just...couldn’t.

Villanelle instantly saw Eve was stressed or nervous. Or both. Villanelle didn’t know what the woman was feeling but she wanted to help. She put her hand on the small of Eve’s back, in a gesture to comfort her. Eve’s eyes opened at the contact and her head turned to Villanelle.

“You okay?” Villanelle said, looking right into Eve’s eyes. Fuck, they were _so_ hazel.

She couldn’t tell Villanelle what had happened, they had just met. Elena barely knew the whole story.

Eve nodded and smiled. She started to follow Kenny into the OR.

They all were gowned and gloved and ready to work. As Kenny and Villanelle opened up the man’s chest, Eve started examining his legs. She would have to perform an angioplasty and put a stent in the right leg. She realized the left would be fine in time with a cast.

Kenny and Villanelle were able to stabilize his vitals quite quickly. They assessed the damage and Kenny, doing his best to teach Villanelle, tried asking her questions. 

She instantly said what they needed to do as if it was the easiest question in the world. 

Drain the blood from the heart. Repair the blood vessels. Insert a chest tube to prevent fluid buildup. Placement of a pacemaker to help regulate heartbeat.

So, she was smart. Eve swallowed and tried to focus. She found intelligence very attractive.

Eve was always very quiet while she worked. Villanelle wasn’t. 

“So Eve, what are you doing?” Villanelle said, looking over at Eve as she let Kenny repair the blood vessels.

“Oh um just putting a stent in this leg.” She said, taken aback by the question.

“Tell me about it. Talk me through it.” Villanelle said, looking down at the man’s chest.

She had never heavily considered trauma as a specialty, she had too much of it in her personal life. But, she really loved hearing Eve talk.

“Well, luckily, the injury wasn’t too extreme. It just nicked the artery here.” She pointed, when she realized Villanelle was looking over to where she was working.

Villanelle gave a hum of agreement.

“Next I guided a thin tube, the catheter, through the artery to here, the heavily damaged area.” Eve said, pointing again, but lower on the man’s leg.

“Ok…and then?” Villanelle said, paying attention to Eve, but still attending to Kenny with the blood vessels.

“Now I am inserting another catheter with a balloon on the end over the guidewire, into that same affected area. The stent expands when the balloon is blown up. The artery will then stay open so--” Eve said as she was doing it, but was interrupted.

“So blood can be resupplied to the area.” Villanelle finished for her, looking up at her and smiling.

Eve was in awe. At one point, Eve was sure Villanelle had checked out. It wasn’t the most interesting stuff for everyone. Eve thought to reiterate what she was doing helped herself more than anyone. 

But, here she was, Villanelle paying attention the _whole_ time, while working on her own surgery, and then finishing her sentence. Gorgeous, kind, smart. Eve was starting to think it might be hard to keep her distance. 

\----------

The man had pulled through. His vitals were stable and would be put into a recovery room and then into intensive care.

Villanelle, Eve, and Kenny were all taking their gowns and gloves off when Eve realized the time. Her shift was finished. So was Villanelle’s.

They all walked towards the elevator, heading for the Lounge. It wasn’t an _awkward_ silence because of Kenny, but Eve couldn’t help but wonder how different it would be if he wasn’t there. 

Don’t get her wrong, she really liked Kenny. She always wondered if he liked Elena because Eve thought they’d be great together. Elena disagreed.

But, as if there was some force out there listening to Eve’s thoughts, Kenny’s phone rang as they walked up to the elevator.

“Oh god, Konstantin and Carolyn emergency! Gotta go, see you guys later!” He said, running down the hall with his phone to his ear, talking indistinctly. It must’ve not been a _medical_ emergency as either, if not both, of the women, would’ve been called.

This elevator was going to be the death of her, Eve thought. When it opened, both Eve and Villanelle walked in, brushing shoulders. Eve thought she shuddered at the physical contact, but she doesn’t think she actually did because Villanelle would’ve had a reaction.

Luckily, there was someone else in the elevator. Eve took a moment to recognize her but eventually she did, it was Nadia. She assumed her shift was also ending.

“Nadia.” Villanelle said, nodding at her.

“Oh uh hi.” Nadia said, suddenly seeming very shy and non-forthcoming. 

Eve knew Nadia was on the shy side but she seemed scared or startled at the sight of Villanelle. Villanelle wasn’t _that_ scary. And, sure, maybe her beauty was startling but not in this way.

They stood, awkwardly, for only two floors. And, not the Lounge’s floor, Nadia rushed out. Eve was beyond confused.

When the doors closed again, Eve didn’t even realize they were now alone.

“Why was she so scared of you?” Eve laughed, because it was _a little_ funny.

“Well I may have slept with her a few nights ago, not thinking it would be anything serious. But I guess she thought differently. And then I found out she worked here, it became…. what do Americans say? Awkward?” Villanelle said, shrugging. 

Eve swallowed. The thought of Villanelle sleeping with other people was one that did _not_ make her comfortable. 

Ugh, she really needed to find a way to get over that. Eve was never the jealous type, especially of someone she had just met and was _not_ dating. 

So, this feeling was new to her. A lot of this was new to her. Yes, she had been with girls at college and had an actual attraction to many of them. 

Yet, she never really considered her sexuality at that point. Never really questioned it. Especially, since she met Niko. She never needed to.

Now, however, she might need to, if she hadn’t already.

“Oh so you like…” Eve lost the words when she turned to Villanelle, who’s head was already turned to her. When Eve met those hazel eyes, especially at this distance, her brain forgot how to make words. Not helpful. 

“Women? Yes, Eve. Very much.” Villanelle grinned, turning fully and taking a step closer to her. 

“Oh that’s well that’s..” Eve was now able to smell Villanelle’s perfume so her brain was not functioning at all anymore. 

Eventually, Eve would get Villanelle back for this. Just… not right now.

Villanelle felt bad, she didn’t _mean_ to make Eve fluster this much. Now that she knew Eve liked her too, she decided to help her out, but just this once.

“So, still up for helping me unpack? And maybe getting food? I have no idea of any good places around.” Villanelle lied. She had been around the neighborhood multiple times, trying different restaurants and shops.

Eve was relieved. She knew Villanelle was helping her out. She needed it.

“Yeah, there’s a nice small bakery and ice cream place just down the street so..” Eve trailed off as she saw Villanelle bite her lip while she was speaking.

“I love ice cream. Meet you outside?” Villanelle said, as the elevator doors opened. How did she do that?

“Yup. See you there.” Eve said as they got out, greeted by Hugo and Jess.

“Oh hey guys!” Jess said, waving, walking with Hugo.

They walked to the Lounge as a group. Hugo and Jess started talking about the patient they just saw but Eve couldn’t listen. 

Her mind was solely focused on ice cream. And Villanelle. Villanelle and ice cream. 

What did ‘keeping a distance’ mean anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please comment on any errors in the medical stuff! 
> 
> Thanks for the comments and love, it means so much <3
> 
> Twitter is @villanellesgun if u wanna chat :))


	6. Birthday Cake, Bridges, and Boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Villanelle get ice cream, Eve opens up to Villanelle, and helps her unpack at her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, another chapter. I'm really enjoying writing. Weird feeling.  
> Anyway, please ignore the streets/geography of London. I know it is not accurate, but I had to change it for logistical reasons, sorry Londoners :)

**Chapter 6**

Eve doesn’t even remember changing into her grey jeans and hunter green shirt. She took the stairs and walked outside, through the glass automated doors, to a weirdly warm London evening. She quickly saw Villanelle waiting for her, facing the Westminster bridge. She was hard to miss.

She was wearing a colorful ruffle neck blouse tucked into silk black pants paired with tall black boots. Her hair was down, flying behind her in the wind. She looked beautiful, as always. Eve proceeded to wonder where she got her clothes. She’d ask another time. For now, she just wanted to look at her.

As Eve looked at her, she seemed so…. at peace.

Eve was snapped back to reality when Villanelle started to turn around. She quickly walked over to her, trying to hide the fact that she was just staring at her.

“Hi, Eve. You look nice.” Villanelle grinned, looking Eve up and down (for the hundredth time), as she walked up to her.

“Thanks, you too.” Eve, trying to muster up some confidence, also looked the woman up and down, quicker than Villanelle had though.

Villanelle was impressed, she liked a more confident Eve.

“Ready?” Villanelle asked, half-turning in the direction of the bridge.

“Yep.” Eve followed her. She wondered how the woman knew which direction they should be going but she decided not to question it. 

It was a beautiful night. The sun was setting over the bridge and the lights of Big Ben were starting to turn on. They started walking on the bridge, and Eve was mesmerized by the colors of the sky. Light purple, orange, yellow..

“Wow. I’ve never seen it like this before. It’s so beautiful.” Eve said, turning towards the river, putting her hands on the railing. Eve didn’t even think before she spoke, she was so entranced by the beauty of the sky and the lights reflecting onto the river.

“Yeah. It is.” Villanelle mimicked Eve’s movement when she put her hands on the railing. Except, she wasn’t looking at the river like Eve was.

Eve could feel her eyes on her. She tried to stop herself from blushing but it made more color go to her face. She tried to play it off by rolling her eyes.

“You’re a charmer, aren’t you?” She said, trying to avoid the meaning of Villanelle’s comment.

“Hmm, I guess. I just like to say what I’m thinking.” Villanelle said, finally looking at the river as well. She was most definitely a charmer, but in this case, she meant every word.

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. It wasn’t weird or uncomfortable, it was nice. 

Eve thought about her day, specifically the man she had performed surgery on.

Memories of her father kept creeping into her mind. He was also involved in a hit-and-run, his heart was also damaged, he also needed immediate surgery. Except, he didn’t live.

Eve was 18 at the time. They were in Connecticut and she was just about to graduate high school. She was never the same after _it_ happened.

These memories flooded her, overwhelmed her. Even after seeing a therapist, she was never able to work through them. Nothing helped. Every time something reminded her of her father, she broke. 

She loved her mom more than anything but being in Connecticut, being in the same town she lived in her father, seeing her father’s friends, was too much for her. 

So she came to London for University and then stayed for medical school. She still talks to her mother, she sees her when she has time for a vacation. But, it’s hard. It takes a toll on her.

Eve didn’t even know she was crying until Villanelle turned to her and put her arm around her shoulders.

“Eve, what is wrong?” Villanelle asked, eyes wide. Her heart broke seeing this woman cry. The feelings she felt for Eve were so foreign to her but she didn’t care. At that moment, all she wanted was to make the older woman feel better.

She didn’t want to talk about her father. Eve didn’t want anyone to see her differently, which was something everyone did when she told them what had happened.

“I- I… my father...he died.. in a- in a- hit-and-run.” This was all Eve could get out, her voice croaking. She hoped Villanelle understood what she was trying to say. For some reason, she felt she could trust the other woman with anything. She felt at ease when she was around her.

Eve had friends, mostly at her work, but they were just that. _Work_ friends. Elena and Bill were really the only exceptions. She would go to their houses, go out to eat with them, spend a lot of time with them _outside_ of work. They knew about her father, about Niko, about everything. She thought they were all she needed but now, she was thinking she needed something else.

“Oh.. Eve.” Villanelle pulled Eve in for a hug, resting her chin on the shorter woman’s head.

Villanelle’s father had died too, not under the same circumstances, but was dead nonetheless. She wasn’t very upset about it. Her father was not kind to her, so, she tried to forget about him. This was not how she connected to Eve’s situation. 

Instead, she thought of Anna. She had lost her, in one way or another, and would never see her again. She _was_ upset about that. 

Eve’s arms wrapped around Villanelle’s waist, with her head rested on her chest. It was _exactly_ what she needed. She felt happy in this woman’s arms. How that happened or why she felt that, she really doesn’t know.

They stood like this for a few minutes, Eve getting a few more tears out. When she felt better, Eve stood back and wiped her face. 

“Oh god, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to just start crying on you like that.” Eve huffed out a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“Eve. Do not apologize. It is not healthy to push feelings like that down.” Villanelle put her hand on Eve’s forearm, an indication of reassurance. She didn’t want Eve to regret opening up to her.

Villanelle had given this advice about pushing feelings down not only to Eve but to herself. It was advice she had been given many times. It was advice she had never taken.

“Well, thanks. Still want to get ice cream with me?” Eve said, cursing at herself after. What was she? 13 years old?

“More than anything.” Villanelle grinned.

“Ugh. Charmer.” Eve rolled her eyes and headed down the bridge to the ice cream parlor.

They walked down the bridge in comfortable silence and at the end of the bridge was Cherry on Top, a small ice cream parlor on the corner of the street.

They walked in and were instantly hit by the smell of _all_ the flavors. Villanelle’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t been lying when she said she loved ice cream.

Villanelle raced up to the counter, staring at all the flavors. They all looked delicious.

A young man, no older than 18, came up behind the counter.

“What can I getcha ladies? Any samples?” He said in a heavy Manchester accent. 

“Mmmmm, can I get a sample of the birthday cake, butter pecan, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, strawberry…” Villanelle started listing and pointing to all the flavors she wanted to “try”. 

She may have gotten a little carried away.

Eve stopped herself from laughing behind her. She stepped in when she was the young man’s eyes widen, not being able to keep up with Villanelle’s list.

“Uhmm Villanelle..” Eve started, getting close to her and putting a hand on the younger woman’s back.

Villanelle stopped listing flavors when she felt the hand on her back. 

Eve decided to try something here. Villanelle has made Eve say the stupidest things or nothing at all, just by touching her or invading her space. Eve wanted to see if she could do the same. Either to help out this poor young man or just to test out the theory.

She got very close to Villanelle, with a hand still on her mid-back, and smiled at her. Villanelle froze, she tried to continue to say more flavors she wanted but her mind could only focus on the heat coming from Eve’s body, due to her very _very_ close proximity.

“I think there’s a limit on samples. Right?” Eve said, breaking eye contact and turning to the young man.

“Oh uh yeah, sorry, only two per person.” He said, pursing his lips and trying to smile.

Villanelle’s face scrunched up in disappointment. She had really wanted to try all the flavors. She wanted to be _sure_ she got the right one.

Eve could see this frustration but she had an idea to help the woman out.

“How about you have my samples? Pick those four you said.” Eve said, taking the hand of Villanelle’s back, forcing the young woman back to reality.

“Ok. Yes. Thank you, Eve.” Villanelle said, keeping eye contact.

“Here you are ladies.” The man said, placing four small paper cups onto the counter. 

Villanelle took a spoon to all of them. 

“Mmm.” She said, furrowing her brows in thought.

Eve couldn’t help but smile at how much thought this woman was giving to an ice cream flavor. It was just ice cream but Villanelle was _really_ thinking about the flavors.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Eve said, finally. She thinks she gave enough time for Villanelle to decide.

“Birthday cake.” Villanelle said, simply.

“Make that two.” Eve said, looking at the young man as he scooped up the ice cream.

They headed to the cash register as Eve opened her purse but Villanelle held a hand out.

“No. I am buying. As payback for you letting me have your samples.” Villanelle said so matter-of-factly.

Eve tilted her head and sighed. One thing she learned about this woman was that when she made up her mind, she _made up_ her mind.

Villanelle handed the man some money and they both picked up their ice creams. They walked outside, seeing London had already gotten darker. How long at they been in that place?

“My apartment is just around the corner.” Villanelle said, almost unintelligibly, as ice cream filled her mouth.

Eve found Villanelle had so many layers. More than Eve originally thought. 

Villanelle was compassionate, Eve had found out on the bridge. Villanelle was childish, Eve had found out as she tried _all_ ice cream flavors. Villanelle was mature, Eve had found out when she paid for both of their ice creams. 

Another layer though, one Eve had suspected but wasn’t sure of, was that Villanelle liked her too. A simple touch and step towards her had made the younger woman’s mind go blank. The same had been done to Eve earlier (no need to count the number of times it had happened though). 

Eve smiled, she had the same power over Villanelle that Villanelle had over her. It was a nice feeling.

Eve had temporarily forgotten about going over to Villanelle’s apartment. She had gotten so caught up in the bridge, her crying, them hugging, and buying ice cream. 

She was going to her apartment. They wouldn’t be in public. They’d be in a room together. Villanelle’s room. Eve started to sweat. 

They walked about a block and a half, making idle conversation whilst eating ice cream until they reached Villanelle’s apartment building. How she got an apartment so close to the hospital in this part of London was beyond Eve.

It was historic and rustic. It looked old, but new somehow. It was an industrial antique beige three-story building and Eve thought it looked like it belonged in a history museum.

Eve followed Villanelle inside as they walked up to the third floor. Eve doesn’t want to admit that three flights of stairs got her out of breath, but they did. Villanelle seemed perfectly fine. Of course, she did.

Villanelle opened the door for Eve and let her go in first. Why did she keep doing that? 

As soon as Eve walked in, she noticed how spacious it was. And chic. It was chic as shit.

It was a modern apartment, with it being basically one whole room. The kitchen to her left, a bedroom through a hallway to her right, with a living room in the middle. 

It didn’t feel like Villanelle though, the apartment itself did, but there was barely any furniture or anything on the walls. It needed… more. Eve figured that’s what she was here for.

Villanelle hadn’t been lying when she said there were boxes everywhere. It was driving the younger woman crazy because she _had_ time to unpack but she also _had_ a plan. She wanted Eve here and now Eve _was_ here. To her credit, her plan worked.

“I can’t wait to get rid of these stupid boxes.” Villanelle said, lightly kicking a box next to her as she walked to the kitchen.

“Yeah, they look like they’re taking up quite a bit of room.” Eve said absent-mindedly, looking around the room. She was still shocked at this living room, it was as big as her whole apartment.

Villanelle seized the opportunity. Eve was staring out the window, looking at a gorgeous view of London, seeing Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, and even St. Thomas from here. 

Villanelle snuck into her bedroom and threw off her clothes, changing as quickly as possible. Eve didn’t notice at all. Her apartment’s view was the bricks of the building next to her. She could get used to _this_ view.

When Eve was finally snapped back to reality, probably due to the complete silence, she turned to find Villanelle, _not_ in her jeans and blouse. She was now in a matching white silk top and shorts. Shorts. Did they even count as shorts, though? They were very short.

Her legs were long, tanned, beautiful. Eve did stare, she couldn’t lie. 

“Jeans aren’t all that comfortable. I’d rather wear this all day.” Villanelle smirked, walking towards the closest stack of boxes. She was having a bit too much fun.

“If you wore that all day, I’d think you’d have more problems than comfortability.” Eve said, not even thinking. She needed a distraction so she headed to the closest box to her, kneeled down, and opened it. 

“Eve, what ever do you mean?” Villanelle gasped, half-shocked at what the older woman said.

Eve just looked up at her and gave her a look. Villanelle knew exactly what she meant.

\-----

They both got to opening boxes, pushing through the styrofoam, to unpack Villanelle’s belongings. After a while, most everything was unpacked and put into their place. Eve was shocked at their efficiency. She assumed they’d get distracted at some point, distracted at what though, Eve had no idea. Well, she had a _few_ ideas but she kept pushing them out of her mind.

The only time they did get _a little_ distracted was when Eve tried to grab a box from the top shelf of a cabinet and, not realizing the weight of the box, she fell backward when she tried to pull it off the shelf. Instead of falling on her back, she was caught. By Villanelle.

Villanelle’s hands were on her back as if they were dancing and she had just dipped Eve. It didn’t help that Eve had dropped the box onto the floor and her hands were on Villanelle’s shoulders. To stabilize her. Just to stabilize her.

Eve swallowed. This was another moment where she couldn’t make words with her mouth. She was staring into Villanelle’s hazel eyes, her hands around her. No distance between them.

When she saw Villanelle smirk and those annoyingly beautiful eyes dip to her lips, she was overwhelmed. She quickly stood up, out of Villanelle’s touch. This was not keeping a distance. Whatever _that_ was, it couldn’t happen.

“Sorry… about the box.” Eve gestured lightly to the box and bent down to make sure nothing broke. 

After that, they went back to normal. Whatever normal was. Basically, they just went back to unpacking. 

When they were done, they were both exhausted.

“Want to stay and watch a movie?” Villanelle said, plopping onto the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you like it!  
> I completely made up Cherry on Top btw, so if you know a shop called that, I don't know what to tell you.  
> Also, I posted some pics on Twitter to help with visualizing some places I mentioned (idk it helps me write but I know I'm not very descriptive). @villanellesgun
> 
> https://twitter.com/villanellesgun/status/1275945054692167680?s=20


	7. Hunters, Vampires, or Singers?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Villanelle watch a movie. Villanelle starts to open up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Again I want to thank EVERYONE for all the lovely comments and kudos. They really do make me so happy. I'm glad you are enjoying this story, it's gonna be a long one! 
> 
> A special thanks to SoiChibi for helping me out with the medical stuff from Chapter 5. I edited to make it make sense for you doctors. I have really no idea what I'm talking about so please don't be afraid to call me out! I'm taking advice from google, never a good thing.
> 
> Anyway, this is another cute chapter before we get into the angst (it's not too soon though, don't worry).

**Chapter 7**

How could Eve not agree to watch a movie? Villanelle looked at her was as if she was hanging on to every word of Eve’s answer. She wasn’t cruel. 

She was also tired. She really didn’t want to walk to the train station and then take the train all the way home. That was _definitely_ the reasoning behind her response.

“Yes.” Was all Eve could get out.

The way Villanelle smiled as all worth it, Eve thought. 

Oh god, what was happening to her? She had never felt like this. Not even at the beginning of her relationship with Niko.

“Yay! You pick, I’ll get snacks.” Villanelle jumped out, gesturing to the TV remote on the coffee table, and headed to the kitchen.

Eve sat down on the couch, picking up the TV remote, but then she saw a stack of DVDs sitting under the TV. When she went over to look at them, she laughed heavily. Out loud.

Villanelle had _all_ the Twilight movies, _all_ the Hunger Games movies, and _all_ the Camp Rock movies. Well, there were only two, but still.

“Why do you have all these?” Eve said through her laughter.

“They helped me learn English… and American culture.” Villanelle said slightly embarrassed, rounding the corner, carrying a large bucket of popcorn and candy.

“How do any of these movies help you learn American culture? Are you secretly Katniss Everdeen who is also a vampire and a singer?” Eve looked up at Villanelle, grinning.

“Mhmm wouldn’t you like to know.” Villanelle said with a mouthful of popcorn, laying in the middle of the couch.

Eve looked back at the DVDs. For some reason, it just… made sense that Villanelle had these. She couldn’t explain it but she smiled anyway.

“So, are we going to be hunters, vampires, or singers?” Villanelle stood up, walking up behind Eve.

She, obviously, did this on purpose. When Eve felt Villanelle’s front so close to her back, she stiffened and her breath hitched. Shit, why does she have to be so close? 

“Uhm uh I think we will be uh… singers?” Eve said, uncertainly. She could barely think about the movies anymore.

She liked Camp Rock, even though she was in her early 30s when the movie first came out. She had seen it when she was invited to Konstantin’s daughter’s birthday party. Irina was sweet but _very_ mature for her age. So, Eve knew she definitely liked the movie more than Irina did. 

“Good choice.” Villanelle said, reaching _around_ Eve to take the DVD from her hand.

Villanelle moved away from Eve, inserted the DVD into the TV, and picked up the remote. Eve headed to the couch, still not recovered from their proximity. 

She … missed it. But, she didn’t have to miss it for long because Villanelle sat _very_ close to her on the couch.

It wasn’t a small couch. Villanelle knew what she was doing. However, if it were entirely up to her, they wouldn’t _just_ be watching a movie. But, she knew she did need to take it slow. For Eve, it was worth it. 

Villanelle was still scared of the number of feelings she already had toward the woman. She tried to push them down, attempting to forget they exist and not feel them. It wasn’t working. 

She wanted whatever she was feeling to just be a want for sex. Just sex, nothing more. 

Except, she found herself not caring if they didn’t have sex that night. Obviously, she _wanted_ to, but she would be fine without it. She just wanted to spend time with Eve. She wanted to watch a movie with her. Even if it was Camp Rock. 

Eve tried to ignore their closeness when Villanelle sat next to her. Their thighs, Villanelle’s bare and Eve’s jean covered, were _just_ touching. In an attempt to try and separate them, to regain her consciousness mostly, Eve grabbed the popcorn bowl and put it in between them. It didn’t separate them that much, but it was enough. 

Villanelle smirked. She would _not_ be focusing on this movie. Not only had she seen it before, but messing with Eve was _so_ much more fun.

The movie started, they started to watch in easy silence. It was not uncomfortable or awkward. Other than the fact, neither of them was actually focusing on the movie. 

Villanelle put her legs up on the coffee table and crossed them, giving Eve a full-view of her bare beautiful long legs. Eve knew what Villanelle was doing, and she could play this game too. 

Villanelle had continually gone to grab popcorn from the bowl throughout the movie. One time, when, from the corner of her eye, Eve saw she was putting her hand in the bowl to get some more, she did too. She amazed herself at how natural it came off. 

She put her hand on top of Villanelle’s, which was on top of the popcorn. She could feel Villanelle’s surprise come from her hand. And now Eve smirked. 

During the movie, Eve guessed it was about half-way, but she still wasn’t fully paying attention, she looked over at Villanelle. The light of the TV reflecting on her skin, her eyes following the movement on the screen, her mouth slightly ajar as if she was translating it to English in her head.

When she was done looking at her face, Eve noticed her necklace. She had briefly noticed it before but she never saw it up close.

It was a small silver chain with a little ‘O’ in the Old London font. It was elegant but subtle. Not what Eve had suspected. Also, why the ‘O’? Her last name was Astankova, so it couldn’t have been that. Maybe a middle name?

Villanelle felt the eyes on her, so she turned her head. Eve blushed and looked away but she knew she had been caught. Okay, maybe Eve lost the game. This time.

“Eve...you know it is rude to stare.” Villanelle grinned, pulling an arm around to the back of the couch. 

“I was just... looking at your necklace. Why the ‘O’?” She said, trying to brush over the fact she was found basically gawking at her. 

Villanelle’s jaw clenched and she looked down. She pulled her arm back, suddenly withdrawing from the woman.

Anna had given her the necklace after Villanelle told her about her ‘real name’. It was before…. everything happened. Villanelle desperately tried to forget about her past. So, she never told anyone about the name. Except, Anna.

And when Anna comforted her and then gave her that necklace, Villanelle said she was in love. Or, that’s what she thought at the time. 

Villanelle swallowed. That necklace was the only thing connecting her to the past. It was the only thing connecting her to Anna. She wanted to get rid of it, especially when she moved to London, but she couldn’t. Not yet.

Eve could instantly sense it was personal. She didn’t want to pry. She just wanted Villanelle to know she could trust her. Eve had told her about her father, not everything about him, but just mentioning him meant a lot to her. She wanted Villanelle to feel the same.

Eve reached out, over the popcorn bowl, and put her hand on the necklace, her thumb running over the silver letter. 

Villanelle looked up at Eve then. It was _that_ feeling again. Trust, comfort, all the things Anna had given her, and then took away. But, when she looked into Eve’s eyes, it was like she forgot about all the bad things that had happened to her. 

“My name… it wasn’t always Villanelle.” She said, so quietly Eve could barely hear her.

Eve was shocked, but she couldn’t show it. At first, she thought she was joking but she could tell just by her face she definitely wasn’t. She needed Villanelle to know that she was there for her and she didn’t want an abrupt reaction to scare her. So, Eve just nodded slightly. She didn’t want to risk interrupting her.

Villanelle breathed deeply. She knew this was going to be hard, she couldn’t be completely honest. It would scare Eve off. 

But, she wanted to let someone in, even just a little. But not just anyone, Eve. Villanelle could never admit this, but after Liverpool, she was _sad._ That was the only way she could describe it. When she met Eve, short as the time has been, she thought about Anna less. And Eve more. 

“My name was.. Oksana. Before I moved from Russia.” She mumbled, struggling to get the words out.

“Oksana.” Eve repeated, looking down, focusing on trying to pronounce the name correctly. 

Villanelle smiled softly. This was comfort. This was trust.

They felt no need to say anything more so they “focused” back on the movie, feeling much closer to each other. 

After a while, just as the movie was finishing, Eve fell asleep. Villanelle looked over and grinned. Of course she fell asleep, she thought.

She turned off the TV, grabbed a blanket from behind the couch, and gingerly set it over Eve. Eve wasn’t a light sleeper, so she didn’t wake up. 

To Villanelle, the night had gone better than if they did have sex. If you had told that to Villanelle 12 hours ago, she definitely wouldn’t have believed you. 

She wanted to give Eve the whole couch for comfort, so as much as she didn’t want to, she stood up and went to her bedroom. But, all she could think about was the woman sleeping on her couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you enjoyed!  
> Fun fact(s): I also love Camp Rock (don't judge) and I have a similar necklace to the one I described.
> 
> I posted a photo of the 'O' on my twitter as I realize not everyone knows what the Old London font is :)  
> @villanellesgun


	8. Miss Movin' On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve waking up at V's - showers, borrowed clothes, and breakfast. Briefly ft. A Confident Eve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter, but I really enjoyed writing this one ;)  
> Thanks for all the love on this story, it means a lot. I really didn't think you all were gonna like it.  
> I'm so excited to continue to write it! It's gonna be a long slow burn hehe

**Chapter 8**

When Eve awoke, she felt she had just slept more than in the past week combined. But as she surveyed the surroundings, she realized she was still on Villanelle’s couch. She rushed to grab her purse next to her on the floor, find her phone, and check the time.

6:49 AM.

Wow. Her body was really used to her sleeping schedule. Except, it hadn’t considered she wouldn’t be at her apartment. She sat up, ruffled out her hair, and sighed. She needed a shower, new clothes, and she  _ really  _ needed breakfast. Also coffee.

She needed a lot of things.

It was only then she heard footsteps. Fuck.

Villanelle, in a silk robe, walked into the living room holding two coffees.

“Good morning sleepyhead.” Villanelle said, her accent in a lower pitch, sounding as if she had also just woken up. Fuck, Eve really liked accents.

“I’m so sorry I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to, I must’ve been so tired after yesterday and the movie…” Eve didn’t know how to finish her sentence, still very embarrassed she fell asleep on the woman’s couch.

“Eve, it’s alright. I’d rather you fall asleep here than on the train.” Villanelle smiled, sitting down on the couch next to her. Her robe slipped down  _ ever so slightly _ when she sat. Eve had to clear her throat and grab the coffee so she wouldn’t look. Did she always wear silk robes in the morning? Or was it just because she was here?

“Thanks, uhm, is there any way I could shower and maybe… borrow some clothes?” She pulled at her sweater -- which was the same one she wore out and fell asleep in.

“Of course! The shower is through the bedroom and I’ll grab you some clothes while you’re in there.” Villanelle replied, standing up and already heading to the bedroom.

Eve swallowed, trying to collect herself before she would not only be in the blonde’s bedroom but in her shower. 

She would be wearing  _ her  _ clothes. This felt too much like… well, it felt too much like  _ dating _ . All Eve could think about was that she was her supervisor. There had to be some type of rule against it, right?

Eve followed Villanelle into her bedroom. Again, it was chic as shit. At this point, Eve expected nothing less. It was elegant and spacious, just like the rest of the apartment. The bed was a queen with silk grey sheets, despite it being obvious that it was just Villanelle living here. There was a dresser opposite it, filled with expensive clothes, Eve assumed. 

The bathroom door was adjacent to the bed. The bathroom was huge, Eve guessed it was about two-and-a-half times bigger than hers. A shower, a bath, and a vanity. 

“Go ahead and shower, I’ll pick out some clothes for you.” Villanelle was already looking through her drawers, smirking, as she was very excited to dress Eve.

Eve went into the bathroom and shut the door. This was a bit much for her. A woman she had just met was letting her sleepover, use her shower, and borrow her clothes. Either she was  _ very _ friendly or she liked Eve. Eve secretly hoped it was the latter. 

There was obviously a sexual attraction between them. Villanelle made that quite clear but Eve definitely felt it too. She wasn’t as forward as Villanelle, but yes, of course she found her very attractive. Her beautiful hazel eyes, that stupid smirk she had when she made Eve nervous, her full lips that Eve really wanted to kiss. God, all of it. 

There was something more, though. Something which scared Eve way more than the physical attraction. 

She  _ liked  _ her. She had since they first spoke, but especially after yesterday, she really liked her. She felt 17 years old again, so she thought she’d use the same terminology. She  _ liked liked _ her. 

Eve opening up to Villanelle about her father, Villanelle opening up to Eve about her name _.  _ It had made Eve feel close to the other woman. Eve hadn’t fully processed what she had told her last night, but she knew that the whole story would take time for Villanelle to tell her. She was just grateful Villanelle felt comfortable enough to share what she did. It was obviously something she didn’t tell most people.

Eve did have questions though. Why change her name? Why Villanelle? Did something happen in Russia that caused her to? Was she in danger? Why did she keep the necklace if she changed her name? Eve would ask...eventually. She wasn’t going to rush anyone, but especially not Villanelle, to share something before they were ready.

Villanelle felt the same. She felt a weight off her shoulders -- not completely, but she felt more… free. For Eve to know her ‘real’ name made her feel that the woman knew  _ her.  _ Something Villanelle hadn’t felt in a while.

She knew that Eve hadn’t said much about her father for a reason, Villanelle knew better than to push her. She was glad Eve said something though. It meant she trusted her. It was that feeling again. Trust. 

Villanelle hadn’t even thought about trusting anyone since Anna. It didn’t work well for her that time, and yet, here she was. Picking out clothes for the woman using her shower.

She usually didn’t let her one-night stands stay the night, let alone take a shower. But she knew Eve would not be a one-night stand. That thought terrified Villanelle. The last time she had felt this way, it had all gone to shit. Anna had said and done the most hurtful things. Was Eve the same? Would she betray her too?

Villanelle wanted to believe that Eve was different. Sometimes, she could feel that she was. But there was still a small part of her brain that said everyone was the same. Everyone would betray her. Everyone was untrustworthy. She’d have to be proved wrong.

Eve felt reenergized after a hot shower. Great water pressure. She made it quick though, not to waste all the hot water, and she had to get to work.

As she stepped out of the shower, she realized she would have to go  _ out _ of the bathroom to get the clothes Villanelle picked out. Eve rolled her eyes, she knew Villanelle did that on purpose. 

Whatever game they were playing, Eve didn’t want to lose. No matter how much she should  _ not _ be playing this game. Not with Villanelle. Not with a registrar.

But her brain lost the battle. She grabbed the  _ smaller  _ towel from next to the shower and wrapped it around herself. It barely covered her thighs.

She opened the door to find Villanelle looking out the window, now in jeans and a blue sweater with her hair in a low-bun. She looked… soft. This all felt a bit too domestic to Eve. 

When Villanelle heard the door open, she turned her head. And to her dismay, she  _ let _ her jaw drop a little. She could see  _ all _ of Eve’s legs. Her eyes lingered on Eve’s legs as they slowly made their way up her body. I guess this is what Eve must’ve felt like yesterday. 

Eve smirked. She won that round.

“Can I have some clothes? I can’t show up to work in a towel.” Eve stated, still grinning.

“No god of course you can’t. Here, jeans and a shirt.” Villanelle walked over to hand the clothes to Eve, mentally cursing at how lame she sounded. 

“Thank you.” Eve said, taking the clothes from Villanelle and turning back into the bathroom. She could still feel Villanelle’s eyes on her as she closed the door.

The shirt was a V-cut, of course. And the jeans were skinny jeans, of course. What did Eve expect? That Villanelle would give her oversized clothes to  _ cover _ her body?

When Eve left the bathroom after changing and freshening up, Villanelle was no longer in the bedroom. She walked into the kitchen and there was Villanelle, making breakfast.

Fuck. It was like they lived together. Or it was like they were dating and Eve had just stayed over. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Breakfast?” Villanelle said looking up, putting two plates on the counter.

“Oh uh yeah sure, thanks.” Eve mumbled. She checked her phone again. 7:08 AM. Damn it, they did have time for breakfast.

They sat next to each other in a comfortable silence as they ate. Eve gave Villanelle many compliments on her sausage and eggs, boosting the younger woman’s ego. 

When they were finished, Villanelle took their plates, and Eve’s nerves were sky-high. She still couldn’t believe she was here. She had stayed at Elena’s and Bill’s many times but this felt completely different. 

There was that potential for it being more than just a  _ friend _ staying over. Eve couldn’t let it go there, she could lose her job. No matter the attraction she felt to the younger woman, she needed to squash it. 

But, on the other hand, the woman had  _ just  _ opened up to her. As a person, Eve couldn’t ignore that. She knew the blonde needed someone there for her, even if Eve didn’t know  _ why _ , exactly.

“Probably time to head to work.” Eve said, looking at her phone. They had time but she wasn’t wrong in that they should leave soon.

“Yeah, let’s go. Ready?” Villanelle said, already putting on a coat. Eve nodded in response.

When Eve stood up and pulled on her coat, Villanelle handed her a thermos. Coffee. 

Eve smiled, genuinely. It had been years since anyone had made her coffee. The last person had been her husband, someone she was  _ married  _ to. 

Oh god, this was going to be really hard.

They walked to Westminster Bridge, sipping their coffees and talking about nothing in particular. People, buildings, statues that they passed. Villanelle was so interested in history, architecture, and anthropology. Eve assumed she knew about many more things as Villanelle discussed these topics in heavy detail on their walk. 

Eve was amazed. Someone of her age, in her stage of career, knowing about such a variety of topics, was fascinating. Eve, again, was surprised at the younger woman.

They finally got to the hospital. Eve still had half of the thermos left to go, so she didn’t stop at a coffee stand today. She was already changing.

“Eve, want to come out with me tonight? I was thinking of going to a bar that is not named after an animal.” Villanelle said, pressing the elevator button.

Shit. Of course, Eve  _ wanted _ to go out with Villanelle. Especially to a bar. She could get drunk and her inhibitions would finally go down. But then she thought of the last time they were in a bar. She thought of the feelings she knew she would feel for the woman if she continued to spend time with her. It was a bad idea.

“Oh I can’t. I have plans with Elena.” Eve replied, she hated lying.

“It’s ok. Another time.” Villanelle looked down at her shoes, disappointed. She couldn’t tell if Eve was lying or not. Either way, she wanted to spend more time with her.

“Yeah.” Eve said, half-heartedly. This already hurt more than she thought. 

The elevator opened and  _ all  _ the registrars were inside. Hugo, Kenny, Elena, and even Nadia. Great.

“Good morning everyone.” Villanelle said, striding into the elevator. Eve followed, now standing opposite her.

Everyone gave unenthusiastic greetings. Eve understood. She remembered when she was a registrar, a lot of work, a lot of hours. She was tired too.

“Hey V, Eve.” Elena said warily, looking at Eve’s outfit and giving her a look. Damn Elena’s sixth-sense.

Eve gave Elena a look back. She knew. Eve tried to express ‘please don’t say anything that will make this more awkward’ on her face.

“Eve, I love your jeans. They made your legs and arse look great! Good on ya.” Elena smirked, nudging Eve a little with her elbow.

Eve smiled, looking down, trying not to make eye contact with Villanelle who she  _ knows  _ was smirking her ass off right now. She failed. 

She looked up and yep, she was right. Villanelle was smirking her ass off  _ and  _ checking Eve out. For God’s sake, she was wearing  _ her  _ jeans. 

After what felt like hours, they got to the second floor and Eve raced off towards the Lounge. She got changed into her scrubs -- out of Villanelle’s clothes -- before anyone could come into the changing room. 

When she walked into the Lounge and the registrars that were in the elevator, along with Jaime and Konstantin, were there. Her eyes instantly went to Villanelle, who was talking to Nadia at the circular table. 

Why the hell was she talking to Nadia? Villanelle said they didn’t talk, that it was awkward after… after Villanelle slept with her. Then, it clicked. 

Eve realized she wasn’t special. Villanelle just wanted to fuck her. So when she hadn’t -- she had fallen asleep instead -- and then didn’t want to go out for drinks with her, Villanelle had moved on. 

She was on to Nadia, someone she had already fucked so she knew she could do it again. Eve was furious but then she deflated. She was more sad than angry. 

She knew, deep inside, she had felt something for Villanelle, despite knowing her for such a little time. She wanted to see their relationship go somewhere. But now, she knew more than ever, she could never be with her. 

All the more reason to avoid her. She needed to move on too.

She headed to the Trauma Center as quickly as she could, eager to start the day and try and avoid Villanelle, as hard as she knew it would be.

\-------

The rest of Eve’s week went by surprisingly quickly. She had a few surgeries that Wednesday, one on Thursday, and now it was already Friday. All her surgeries had gone well, nothing too serious and all her patients were recovering nicely. However, she only saw Villanelle, in passing, twice. 

She had been successfully avoiding her by either making plans with Elena, getting to work  _ just in time,  _ or leaving work as soon as possible. It hurt her to do this but every time she would see her, she would get this feeling in her chest. 

A feeling that she knew she shouldn’t be having for a registrar 20 years younger than her. She had to stop it somehow. She couldn’t get over whatever these feelings were in a day, it, unfortunately, would take a little time. Still, Eve couldn’t help but wonder what Villanelle was thinking. Had she even noticed she was avoiding her? Was she already on to someone else?

Villanelle had a shit couple days. Konstantin kept delegating a lot of his surgeries to her and Kenny so she would have to spend hours on end with the boring young man. He was kind, normal, but he didn’t talk during their surgeries. She was so  _ bored. _

Also, she had barely seen Eve since Wednesday morning. She could tell the woman was avoiding her. But, why? They had a nice Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. She bought her ice cream, let her sleep on her couch, let her borrow her clothes. Why was Eve avoiding her? She needed to find out because she was starting to get upset  _ and  _ bored. Not a good combination.

As her final surgery on Friday ended -- patient healthy and on the road to recovery-- Villanelle headed straight for the Lounge, where she found who she was looking for. 

Elena. 

She was sitting on the couch, scrolling through Instagram on her phone.

“Elena, hi, can I have Eve’s phone number?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this chapter is named after the Fifth Harmony song. 
> 
> Also, I'm updating as fast as I'm writing (which is, at this point, daily). Eventually, updates will probably slow (to maybe weekly/twice a week?) but I'm not gonna stop writing, so don't worry!  
> Again, thanks for all the love and comments, all your help and kindness is super appreciated.
> 
> Talk to me on twitter! @villanellesgun (I posted photos of what I picture Villanelle's apartment to look like)


	9. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle texts Eve and they try to address the 'elephant in the room'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a funny and serious chapter :)

**Chapter 9**

Eve left work early, she didn’t feel great. She was exhausted, really. Not sick.

Still, Elena offered to cover for her and call her if any emergencies came in. So, she was at her apartment, sitting on her couch, nursing a glass of red wine (even though it was only 6 PM). 

She was trying to read an old psychology book but she read the lines over and over again, unable to focus on any of the words. Her mind kept drifting to Villanelle. 

What was she doing right now? Eve checked her phone. She was probably finishing work. What was she doing tonight? Going out? It was Friday. She was definitely going out. With someone? Or would she meet someone new?

Again, not sure if the Gods are on her side or not, her phone buzzed. Eve grabbed it, assuming it was Elena asking how she was.

When Eve checked her screen and saw an unknown number, she was confused for a moment. But then, she read the message.

**_Unknown Number:_ ** _ El gave me your number. Why are you avoiding me?  _

Eve threw her head back onto the couch. Villanelle was smart. She knew this. Obviously, she would realize Eve was avoiding her. Also, _El_? Did they just decide to automatically give each other nicknames? 

Eve didn’t think about what to type next. She just typed the first thing she thought of. It was easier that way.

**_Eve:_ ** _ I’m not avoiding you… exactly.  _

Eve changed the contact name. She knew exactly who this was.

**_Villanelle:_ ** _ You are. I’ve only seen you twice since Wednesday and we have had zero conversations. _

Eve blushed. Villanelle was literally counting their interactions. It felt like high school.

**_Eve:_ ** _ Ok fine! Yes, I’ve been avoiding you. _

**_Eve:_ ** _ I’m sorry. _

Villanelle was happy that Eve admitted it. If she denied it again, she would probably punch something.

**_Villanelle:_ ** _ So I will ask again. Why have you been avoiding me? I thought we were friends. _

Villanelle clenched her jaw when she typed that last part. She wanted to be more than friends but right now… that’s what they were. That’s all they were. ‘Friends’ was probably pushing it but they definitely more than just colleagues. 

Eve sighed when she read ‘friends’. It’s not ideal, but she could work with it.

**_Eve:_ ** _ Are you free? Maybe we can go somewhere? _

Eve bit her lip. She was nervous. Villanelle could easily turn her down, making her feel worse than she already did. But she much rather talk to her in person than over a screen.

**_Villanelle:_ ** _ Yes. I found a bar that is not named after an animal and is actually quite nice. I’ll send the address. I’ll be there in 15. _

Fuck. She had to get ready, she looked like shit. She rushed up, combed her hair, brushed her teeth. When she was done, she realized she was still wearing pajamas. She pulled on a navy turtle neck and black ripped jeans. She was going out, why wear non-ripped jeans?

She grabbed her purse, wallet, keys, and phone. She rushed out the door with 5 minutes to spare. It would only take her a few minutes to walk to this bar. 

She looked up the address. It was called The Telephone. That was a better name than Bear’s? Eve just shook her head.

When she arrived, she realized this wasn’t a bar. Sure, it served alcohol but it wasn’t… a bar.

It had flowers everywhere, outdoor seating, a full waiting staff. This was a half-restaurant, half-bar. Oh god, this wasn’t a date, was it? No. no. 

But this is definitely somewhere you  _ could  _ go on a date.

She saw Villanelle sitting outside wearing a white polo shirt with her hair in a high ponytail. She was drinking something, it looked like… oh. Was it whiskey? Interesting. Eve was really learning more and more about this woman every time they saw each other.

Eve walked up to the table and smiled, awkwardly, before sitting down across from Villanelle.

“Eve.” Villanelle smiled. She couldn’t help it. It had been the first time in days since she saw the woman this close.

“Hey, how are you? How was work?” Eve said, in an attempt to act ‘normal’ while setting her purse on the side of her chair.

“Long. Kenny is boring and I barely see Konstantin anymore.” Villanelle shrugged. She liked Konstantin. He reminded her of her father, minus all the bad stuff.

“Anything to drink, miss?” A waitress appeared next to Eve out of literally nowhere.

“Oh just a club soda, please. Thanks.” Eve answered and the waitress left. A glass of wine was more than enough today, she thought.

“You like Konstantin, huh? Think you’ll go into cardio?” Eve questioned. She could see Villanelle had made a connection with Konstantin. Eve was also curious where her head was about her specialty. She had to decide eventually, sooner rather than later.

“So many questions, Eve. So curious.” Villanelle leaned over, shaking her head, in fake-annoyance.

“Sorry, just interested.” Eve murmured. She  _ was _ interested in Villanelle’s career. Not only as a consultant but as a person. Villanelle was so young, she could do anything she wanted to. So yes, Eve was invested. But, she reminded herself, that’s not why she was here.

The waitress came back and set Eve’s drink in front of her, giving her a smile and walking away. Quick service.

“No, I don’t think I’ll go into cardio. It’s nice but I don’t feel  _ it. _ ” Villanelle stated, trying not to smile. It was nice to have someone  _ genuinely _ care about her and her future.

“What’s  _ it _ ?” Eve inquired. 

“You know, Eve.  _ It.  _ The feeling where you’re sure. So sure of something it consumes you because you know it’s absolutely right. Right for you, despite everything else.” Villanelle said, realizing the irony of everything she said.

Eve did too. She had  _ that  _ feeling. The feeling she felt when she knew, more than anything, she needed to go into Trauma. She needed to be a Trauma surgeon. She just… knew. 

Well, she was having those same feelings again. She just… knew. She also knew she couldn’t deny  _ it  _ anymore. She needed to confront it, head-on. Eve just wanted to move past  _ it _ because, in her mind, she and Villanelle would never work.

“Villanelle…” Eve started.

“I figured out why you were avoiding me.” Villanelle announced, looking towards the street.

“Oh.” Eve sat back and sipped her drink. She swallowed heavily. Her heart was racing, was Villanelle even smarter than she thought?

“It’s because you’ve never been with a woman before. When I flirted with you and you slept over, you just got scared. But it’s ok, Eve, I know what I’m doing.” Villanelle said so matter-a-factly.

Eve spit out her drink and started laughing, drawing the attention of the couple at the table next to him.

Villanelle scrunch up her face and tilted her head in confusion. She was sure she was right. That could be the only reason Eve was evading her.

“Uhm well, one, that’s not true. And two, that is not the reason I was avoiding you.” Eve said, recovering. She found Villanelle hilarious, whether she meant to be funny or not.

“Wait.. Eve.. does that mean you’ve been with women?” Villanelle’s eyes widened as she leaned with her elbows on the table. She was a little shocked but more than that, she was intrigued. She clearly wanted to know more.

Eve was only  _ slightly  _ taken aback by the question. With Villanelle’s heavily flirting and outspoken manner, she knew this was going to come up sooner or later. Guess it was sooner.

“Well, since you must know.. I have. Not that it’s any of your business.” Eve responded.

“Huh.” Villanelle sat back, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. 

“Why? Shocked?” Eve questioned.

“No.. I mean maybe a little. But mostly, I’m just annoyed.” Villanelle said, honestly, looking away from Eve.

“Annoyed? Why?” Eve was very confused. Why the hell would she be annoyed? Eve could sleep with whoever she wanted, it wasn’t her business.

“Well, I just imagined I’d be your first, that’s all.” Villanelle said, way too calmly, looking back out into the street.

Eve coughed, trying to clear her throat. She hadn’t expected her to say  _ that. _ Villanelle was  _ way _ too forward for her own good.

“Eve, do you need water?” Villanelle said, turning to raise her hand for the waitress to come over.

“No… no.. I’m fine. I’m fine.” Eve held her chest as she cleared her throat once more.

There was a moment of silence before they had to face the elephant in the room, again.

“That’s why I was avoiding you.” Eve answered.

“Because you imagined I’d be the first woman you slept with?” Villanelle volunteered, smirking.

“Yes.. well no, not exactly.” Eve mentally face-palmed. She was an idiot. Why did she start by saying yes?

Villanelle’s eyebrows furrowed. Obviously, she wasn’t getting what Eve was trying to say.

“I just… I’m your supervisor, I’m a consultant at the same hospital and I’m 20 years older than you. I’m also--” Eve started.

“Eve, I don’t care about your age. You are beautiful, no matter what. Your hair, as well, is just...amazing. And I don’t see why consultants and registrars can’t … you know.” Villanelle gestured to Eve as if she knew what she was going to say. 

Villanelle didn’t really have the word. Fuck? Have sex? Date? Be in a relationship? All of the above? She hadn’t thought about what their relationship would be. Just that she wanted Eve, all the time.

Eve thinks her heart may have skipped a beat when Villanelle called her beautiful. It was so… pure. Sweet. She could tell by Villanelle’s demeanor that she had meant it too. 

Eve definitely blushed.

But was Villanelle right? Could consultants and registrars sleep together? Date? To be honest, she had no idea if there was a  _ rule  _ against it but surely it wasn’t encouraged. She’d have to ask Carolyn. What a fun conversation that would be. 

“I mean.. I don’t know if we can…” Eve copied Villanelle’s gesture between them. She really didn’t know the word either. 

What did she want to happen? A relationship? A one-night-stand? A friend-with-benefits? Or more of a coworker-with-benefits? Eve shook her head at the last one. She wanted to be friends with Villanelle, _ at least _ .

“Ok Eve. How about we just start by not avoiding each other, yes?” Villanelle sighed, obviously not over Eve dodging her most of the week.

“Yes. Yes. That sounds good. No more avoiding each other.” Eve smiled, softly. She felt awful for avoiding her. She thought it would make her feel better but it had the complete opposite effect. On both of them.

“To friends?” Villanelle held up her drink. Friends were better than nothing, she thought. She’d seduce her way to something more. She had the charm.

“To friends.” Eve held up her glass and clinked against Villanelle’s.

It would take time, but Villanelle was nothing if not determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love and support guys! 
> 
> I promise we are getting to the good stuff! The next couple chapters are, let's just say, heavy.
> 
> Talk to me on twitter :) @villanellesgun


	10. You Are A Terrible Wing-Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle gets hit on at the bar and Eve gets jealous. Also, Villanelle owns a motorcycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a good time writing this chapter. hehe  
> Thanks again for all the comments and kudos!
> 
> TW// There is mentioning of a school bus crash (no details) in this chapter and the next but I thought I'd include a warning, just in case.

**Chapter 10**

Being friends with Villanelle was even harder than Eve originally thought. They had moved to sit at the bar to finish their drinks and while they were sitting, four women had already come up to them, trying to flirt with Villanelle. _Four_. There had been one man too! They’d only been there for an hour, an hour-and-a-half tops.

Eve couldn’t believe it. Well, yes, she could. Villanelle was gorgeous and young. But it still bothered her nonetheless. She tried not to let it, telling herself that Villanelle was her _friend_ and could flirt with anyone she wanted. However, Eve wanted that person to be her. Not random people at bars.

To her credit, Villanelle had turned every woman (and that one man) down. Telling them she wasn’t interested because she was out with a _friend_ for the night. It made Eve happy that she didn’t entertain any of them for more than a few seconds. Except, the fourth woman. 

Eve had increasingly shown her annoyance of the women that kept walking to Villanelle. It was hard not to. Obviously, the man wasn’t going to get anywhere so she forgot about him as soon as Villanelle quickly brushed him away. 

At first, it was just looking away from them, then it was rolling her eyes, and then it was audibly groaning when _another_ woman walked up. Every time, Villanelle’s smirk got bigger. She liked jealous Eve. Even though, they were “just friends”.

So, when the fourth woman walked up to Villanelle, asking a variation of “can I buy you a drink?” or “are you here alone?” Eve couldn’t have cared less. 

That’s a lie, she _visibly_ rolled her eyes, looking back to the bar, muttering an “oh my god, not again.” She cared quite a bit.

Sure, she and Villanelle weren’t in the middle of an important conversation, they were just discussing the hospital, the staff, and specialties. Normal surgeon stuff. Then the woman interrupts them. Rude nonetheless, Eve thought.

Eve was snapped out of her annoyance when Villanelle continued to speak to the woman. She’d assumed she’d have turned her away, like the others, by now.

“You’re very pretty, I really do love your hair.” She heard Villanelle say, now in a posh British accent. 

How the hell did she do that? And how was Eve attracted to a woman flirting with another woman right in front of her? Accents. Stupid accents.

Her head snapped up hearing the change in accent and she saw Villanelle running her hands through the hair of some woman. Closer to Villanelle’s age, looking nothing like Eve. 

She was tall, straight long brown hair, brown eyes. Nothing special, Eve thought. Then she shook her head, why was she getting _mean?_ Even if that thought was in her head, it wasn’t right. She wasn’t jealous. She shouldn’t be jealous. Stupid green-eyed monster.

Villanelle could feel Eve’s rage, without even looking at her. Villanelle was enjoying this. Winding the other woman up was very _very_ fun. 

Eve knew what Villanelle was doing but she couldn’t stop herself. She was annoyed. But, they were just friends, nothing more. Her brain kept telling her that friends don’t get jealous of friends flirting with other people. 

Eve didn’t listen to her brain.

“Actually, she’s here with me, so...” Eve stated looking directly at the brunette, not caring who she was or what her name was. 

She just wanted her gone. She wanted to spend time with Villanelle, alone. _As friends_. Even if her comment made it sound like they were more than friends, it didn’t matter. Anything to get the woman to leave them alone, right?

“Oh, so sorry, I just assumed..” The brunette said, bewildered that Eve spoke to her.

“Yeah, sorry.” Villanelle said distractedly, looking at Eve. 

She was shocked, impressed, and _a little_ aroused that Eve spoke to the woman. Sometimes, jealousy was hot. The brunette quickly walked away, feeling very embarrassed and slightly confused.

“Eve, you are a terrible wing woman.” Villanelle teased, returning back to her Russian accent, turning fully towards Eve.

“Yeah, sorry. Just didn’t think you were all that interested, my bad.” Eve retorted, sipping her drink, avoiding eye contact.

“Now why would you think that?” Villanelle purred, slipping back into _that_ British accent, leaning towards her, the smirk never faltering.

“No reason.” Eve blurted out. Fuck those accents. Why was she so good at them?

Do friends talk like this to each other? Eve had other friends, and those friends definitely didn’t talk to her like _this._

“Hmm.” Villanelle chuckled slightly, leaning back, satisfied with her teasing for now.

Eve was desperately trying to change the subject. No more flirting, no more topics about flirting, no more strangers to flirt with.

“Why did you change your name?’ Eve inquired, instantly regretting it. It was the only thing she could think of.

Villanelle’s jaw clenched and her lips pursed. She didn’t even know what to say or what not to say. Did she tell Eve about Anna and what happened in Liverpool? No, it was too much. Did she tell her about her parents? No, again, probably too much.

“I wanted a new life. Let’s just say that... Russia... wasn’t all that great.” Villanelle sighed, trying to smile. That was enough information, right?

Eve was now looking at her, Villanelle could feel it. 

Shit, Eve thought. This was _definitely_ personal. Why did she ask?

“Villanelle... I’m here for you. You can tell me... if you want to.” Eve put her hand on Villanelle’s forearm, who now instantly looked up at her. 

“My parents.. they were umm.. they weren’t great parents. They weren’t great people either. So as soon as I could, I got out. As far away as possible. I ended up in Scotland briefly, then in Liverpool. I just wanted to forget about them and forget about Russia. So I changed my name. I thought that would help.” Villanelle murmured, happy with the amount (or lack of) detail she gave Eve. 

Luckily, the bar wasn’t actually that loud so Eve could hear her. But after hearing _that_ , Eve felt terrible.

She had grown up with fantastic parents, both were supportive and kind, pushing her to be the best she could be. Without them, she had no idea where she would be. When she lost her dad, she lost a lot of that support. 

But she was able to continue, in her life and then in her career, because of what _he_ had taught her. She could hardly imagine what growing up with two parents, neither supportive, would’ve been like. What that would do to a child. A young girl.

Even though she knew there was more that Villanelle wasn’t saying, Eve could tell she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Eve was here, though, whenever she was. 

“I’m so sorry Villanelle. That must’ve been awful.” Eve said, her hand lowering until her and Villanelle’s hands were intertwined. Villanelle looked up at Eve, more emotional than she had expected to be. She had barely given any details. 

Yet, here she was, on the edge of tears, holding hands with a woman she really liked. A woman she could see herself _dating._ Villanelle never dated anyone. She had flings, one-night-stands. None of those meant anything to her. She, technically, hadn’t even dated Anna, who was someone that _had_ meant something to her. 

They both just looked at each other for a moment. Eve was trying to express that she was here for Villanelle if she wanted to talk about it. She already cared for the younger woman, and knowing what a terrible childhood she must’ve gone through, it just made her care more. She wanted to make her feel better, she wanted her to know that she never had to go back to Russia. 

Villanelle was avoiding expressing how scared she was. Scared of telling Eve anymore of her past, scared of what she was feeling for Eve, scared of how Eve would react if she kissed her. For a surgeon, her brain was very bad at listening because Villanelle, only just _thinking_ about kissing Eve, felt her eyes dip to the other woman’s lips.

Eve saw this but didn’t make any attempt to move away. Her eyes also went to Villanelle’s lips and she had no idea why. She wanted to kiss her, yes, but they couldn’t. They had decided on friends. Maybe not indefinitely, but for now. 

Kissing, Eve knew, was not what friends were supposed to do.

As Villanelle started to lean in, her lips became only a breath away from hers. Eve even felt her eyes begin to close.

Then, Eve’s phone buzzed. Elena. It broke her out of whatever trance she was just in. She grabbed her phone, leaning back from Villanelle, who was now sitting back and looking away from Eve.

“Hey, Elena.” Eve said, phone to her ear.

“Eve! Emergency at the hospital! There was a huge school bus crash on the bridge and they’re sending the kids to us. I know you’re not on-call but we need you and Villanelle at the hospital now!” Elena shouted, seeming frantic.

“Oh my god! Yeah ok, we’re on the way now…. wait...Elena...how did you know I was with Villanelle?” Eve questioned. What was going on? Elena’s sixth-sense couldn’t extend _this_ far.

“Oh uh, no idea. Lucky guess. Anyway, get to the hospital quick. Bye!” Elena swiftly hung up the phone.

Eve was still very confused, but she had bigger issues. They both needed to get to the hospital. 

“We need to get to the hospital. Bus crash.” Eve said, tapping her phone, looking for any news on the crash, but Villanelle already had her coat on and was holding Eve’s out to her.

“Oh, uh thanks.” Eve stammered, as she looked up and took her coat from her. This was awkward, right?

They quickly walked out, Eve throwing some banknotes on the bar as they left. There were kids on a school bus. Eve loved her job, but sometimes it was really hard seeing horrifying things happen to such young people.

As Eve walked out, she realized how close they actually were to the hospital. They could walk and be there in less than 15 minutes. When Eve turned toward the direction of the hospital, Villanelle grabbed her arm, stopping her. 

Eve was still thinking about what would’ve happened if Elena hadn’t called.

“What? We can get there in 10 minutes if we speed walk.” Eve blurted out, quickly.

“No, I rode here. We can get there even quicker.” Villanelle replied, pulling her by the arm to the end of the sidewalk, where there was a shiny black motorcycle parked.

“That’s yours? You have a motorcycle?! No no I’m not getting on that. Do you know how dangerous that is?” Eve exclaimed, gesturing towards it.

“Eve...I am a fantastic driver. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.” She gave a quick wink, already starting to sit on the motorcycle, holding out an extra helmet towards Eve.

“Oh my god. I can’t believe this.” Eve muttered, mostly to herself, taking the helmet and sitting behind Villanelle. They did need to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

As Villanelle started the engine, she felt Eve wrap her arms around her waist and squeeze. Eve was lucky she couldn’t see her smirk under the helmet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may not seem like it, but WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE I PROMISE!  
> I've written the next five (ish) chapters and planned out most of the rest of the fic.  
> The next few chapters you guys will enjoy (I promise), and we are not even halfway thru the fic!  
> I picture it being around 30 chapters but to be honest, I have no idea. It'll be a long one for sure though!
> 
> Note: Yes, Villanelle had one drink, but it was just for the plot of going to a bar. She was not drunk driving, I do not condone that behavior. Neither V nor Eve is drunk, just for future reference.
> 
> I hope you guys are still into this story, it is a slow burn but Villaneve is coming!!!  
> Talk to me on twitter :) @villanellesgun


	11. James Pt. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Villanelle get to the hospital and, still thinking about what happened at the bar, they try and start an operation together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, after many debates (in my head), I decided to split this chapter into two, so this chapter is quite short. I'll post the second part tomorrow, so don't worry! Hopefully, when you read that you'll understand why I split them up;) 
> 
> Also, there's a bit of medical stuff in here, I tried to make it as brief as possible but, if I messed up, please call me out.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the comments and kudos, they make me so happy.
> 
> TW// Mention of a bus crash

**Chapter 11**

Villanelle was right. They had gotten to the hospital faster than they would have if they had walked. Except, Villanelle broke 2 or 3 traffic laws doing so. Eve didn’t say anything because she knew that was her first and last time on a motorcycle.

Villanelle parked right outside and they both jogged into the Trauma center, where Elena was standing there, waiting for them.

“Here!” She yelled, throwing both Eve and Villanelle some lab coats. 

They took off their jackets and put the white coat on over their clothes. It was an emergency, they just didn’t have time. They would change into their scrubs before surgery, but, they hoped none of the kids would need an operation.

“What happened?” Eve asked, tying her hair up, speed-walking between Elena and Villanelle.

“School bus coming back from a field trip crashed into the side of another truck. The bus driver was asleep at the bloody wheel. Luckily, the truck driver wasn’t hurt but there are 10 kids and the bus driver here. Two of the kids are fine, just needed a cast.” She gestured toward two teenagers, both sitting on the hospital bed closest to them.

“Hugo and Jess are over there, with the youngest ones. Bill and Konstantin are around here somewhere too. The rest of the kids need immediate attention, though. We needed everyone we could get, so I called you.” Elena continued, still speed-walking through the center, Eve and Villanelle in tow, surveying their surroundings.

The trauma center normally doesn’t have many people in it at once so this was an unusual sight. Nevertheless, Eve was completely focused. This is what she has dedicated her life to do. Villanelle was just as focused. This is what she has trained for. And she was going to do it right.

“We’ll go over here and look at those boys.” Eve gestured to her right at two boys laying in beds next to each other.

“Right okay, I’ll be over here. Shout if you need me!” Elena rushed in the other direction.

Eve and Villanelle took a couple of steps toward the boys. They looked asleep. One was smaller than the other, must’ve been only 12 or 13. The other seemed older, maybe 17 or 18. 

“I’ll take this one, you get that one.” Eve nodded her head in the direction of the older kid and then gestured to the younger one for Villanelle.

“‘Kay, boss.” Villanelle quickly nodded and walked around Eve to the side of the younger boy’s bed. 

Eve walked to the opposite side of the older boy’s bed. 

She looked at his chart and scanned it quickly. Eve had been right with her guess, he was only 18. 

It looked like he had a neck fracture and a possible broken tibia. His neck fracture, Eve saw on the X-ray, was very minor and he would only need brace for a few months. No need for surgery.

She saw he had already gotten an X-ray of his leg. She only took a few seconds to realize that his tibia was definitely broken. It was pretty bad. He would need surgery to repair it. Eve was trying to think about which method would be best when the boy woke up. 

“Is it bad?” The boy asked groggily.

“Oh, hi…” She looked back at his chart to find his name.

“James. James, how are you feeling? How’s the pain?” She asked, coming closer to his bed, scanning his injuries.

“Pretty bad. My leg hurts quite a bit.” He winced when he tried to sit up.

“Don’t sit up, James. Your neck has a minor fracture and your tibia is broken.” Eve gently placed her arm on his shoulder, preventing him from sitting upwards any more. 

“Do I .. will I need surgery?” James inquired, now looking at Eve.

“Unfortunately, yes. Your tibia is in pretty bad shape so we will have to take you into the OR. Luckily, I’ve been doing this a while so you’re in good hands.” Eve smiled softly. 

She knew this must’ve been a lot to take in so she was being as patient as she could. 

“Doing this a while? What do you mean? You look 25! I thought you were a med student at first.” James chuckled lightly, holding his chest.

“Hah! You’re funny. Thank you, James. That’s very sweet. But no, I’m the Trauma surgeon consultant.” Eve laughed loudly. 

James was being kind and taking all this news quite well. Eve wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible, especially before a big surgery. 

Eve was laughing was when Villanelle’s eyes snapped up. 

She had been examining the younger boy, who she found out was named Devin. He had also gotten a few X-rays when he arrived. He was extremely lucky because he only had a sprained wrist. Villanelle was putting it in a splint when she heard Eve’s laugh. She assumed the boy,  _ the patient, _ complimented her since Eve was blushing.

“Well James, Dr. Astankova here will quickly prep you for surgery and I’ll see you in there, alright?” Eve gestured to Villanelle, who was now walking around to James’s bed.

“Yes, thanks so much Doc.” James said smiling and waving slightly. 

Eve was gorgeous, who wouldn’t have a crush on her?

Eve turned toward Villanelle, who was now behind her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, an indication of gratitude, and then walked away.

Villanelle couldn’t stop smiling after that. She never knew such a simple act could make her feel so much. Hopefully,  _ she _ wasn’t blushing. 

“She’s real fit, isn’t she?” James asked, staring at the direction Eve walked in, while Villanelle prepared him to go to the OR.

Villanelle clenched her jaw. She wasn’t jealous of an 18-year old  _ boy _ . She couldn’t be. That would be ridiculous. But.. she kinda was. Not  _ jealous _ , per se. More...envious, maybe? 

She didn’t really know what she was feeling, all she did know was that she wanted Eve. Not as a friend.

“Yes, very.” She replied, honestly. What harm would it do?

\---------

Eve and Villanelle had both changed into their scrubs when they met in the OR. Eve had been scrubbing in for a few minutes when Villanelle walked in. 

Usually, Villanelle would be pulled wherever Konstantin was since she was technically still on Cardio until Monday. But, he was already in surgery with Kenny. It was easier just to go in with Eve. Especially, since they arrived together and Villanelle had already prepped James for the operation. 

Those were both Villanelle’s and Eve’s reasons. It would’ve been just as easy for Eve to bring Elena, but she didn’t think about that. 

Eve wanted silence while she scrubbed in. She wanted to focus on what her surgery would involve and she did not want to talk to Villanelle. It would be awkward, right?

Still, despite the potential awkwardness, Eve wanted to be around her. She wanted to do this surgery with  _ her _ . She just wanted to avoid talking about the…  _ almost _ kiss. 

She kept thinking about the fact that if Elena hadn’t called her, she’d probably have kissed Villanelle. Just the thought of that was overwhelming. It consumed her. But she knew it couldn’t, Eve told herself. Not only was she literally about to perform surgery on a young boy, but she couldn’t let these feelings about a registrar half her age occupy her mind. 

“Eve… we should probably talk about...” Villanelle started to say, looking at her hands.

Villanelle knew, from experience, that avoiding conversations never helped the situation. 

She  _ needed _ to talk to Eve. Before it made the situation worse. How would she have felt if she  _ had  _ kissed her? Would she have pulled away? Villanelle doubted it, but she still wanted to know. Did Eve want it to happen again? 

What did Eve want? The million-dollar question. 

Was Eve just looking for someone to fuck? Or was she looking for someone to date? To be fair, Villanelle didn’t know  _ exactly  _ what she wanted either. Just that she wanted Eve. To be around here. To learn more about her. To  _ know  _ her. 

To her surprise, she also wanted Eve to know  _ her _ . She’d never wanted that before. She’d always preferred to be a mystery and share as little about herself as she could. But, she didn’t want that with Eve. 

It’d take time but, she wanted to tell Eve  _ everything.  _ She just needed Eve to talk to her. She couldn’t pull away. She couldn’t leave her. Everyone had left her.

“Not right now, later, okay?” Eve didn’t even wait for Villanelle’s response before she rushed into the OR.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two chapters will be quite heavy on the emotional front. Both Eve and Villanelle have a lot of thoughts that they need to unpack and go through, so sorry if there isn't as much dialogue. Trust me though, the dialogue is coming. 
> 
> I'm giving a few chapters of fluff and softness before the angst because it's gonna hit y'all like a truck (sorry not sorry).
> 
> Chat to me on twitter @villanellesgun


	12. James Pt. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle and Eve finally get in a room alone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this chapter a lot longer than initially intended, but I think it works much better. Hope you like this one. I sure did.

**Chapter 12**

Eve couldn’t talk to Villanelle. She just couldn’t. If she did, she’d definitely say something she’d regret. It would be something like “of course I wanted to kiss you” or “we can’t be around each anymore”. Either way, it’d be something she couldn’t take back. 

Eve was scared. Terrified, actually. She wanted to just give in, give in to Villanelle. To the temptation, the desire, the need. But, she’d never had any conflict like this before. She didn’t know how to deal with it.

She was smart, and not to brag, but she was able to _excel_ during medical school and her training. 

She was good at her job. Not even good, _great_. It was her life’s passion. It was her first priority, always. That’s just the way Eve was. She wouldn’t change that for anyone. There wouldn’t be any conflict. 

And then there was Niko, no conflicts. Well, no conflicts _at first_. 

They met through mutual friends and started a great relationship. After a while though, as Eve’s career progressed, they fought. More and more. Mostly, _about_ Eve’s career. How she would choose to work over him. Which wasn’t entirely false, but she was saving lives after all. But, Niko was selfish. He wanted her all to himself.

She finally realized that she could never continue in her career _and_ be married to Niko. So, they got a divorce. No more conflict. Dealt with.

Now, here she was, thinking about Villanelle. About what would happen if she acted on the feelings she had. About how there would most _definitely_ be conflict. Villanelle was a registrar 20-years younger than her who was just starting her career. Eve was _her_ supervisor. The person who was supposed to be teaching her.

Eve felt she would get in the way of that. Not only would she not do that to herself, but she couldn’t do that to Villanelle. It would only hurt her. She had so much of her life to go, so much left to do, so many places to go. Eve didn’t want to hold her back.

As much as Eve wanted her, wanted to see where things could go, she knew that, deep down, being together would only hurt them both. It was just too complicated. 

So, Eve had said she would talk to Villanelle later, but did she even want to? Did she want to put into words that it was so hard to be around the woman because of how much she wanted her? 

She started thinking in her head about how she would phrase it.

“It’s not you, it’s me.” God no. What a cliché. 

“I just can’t do this anymore.” Do what? They weren’t dating. This wasn’t a breakup. How was this harder than a breakup? They were just friends. But why did it feel like a breakup?

Maybe, Eve thought, she wouldn’t say anything. It would just go away. She wouldn’t have to talk to Villanelle about what _almost_ happened and maybe they could just be friends. Villanelle would move on. She was young, she could be with whoever she wanted.

Yes, it would be hard if Villanelle started seeing someone. But maybe, that’s just how it had to be. They couldn’t be together and Eve couldn’t hold on to Villanelle. She couldn’t even hold on to the idea of her. It wasn’t fair to her. 

Eve carried on the surgery in silence. Villanelle was _seething._

She couldn’t stand the quiet. They were both focusing on James but both she and Eve knew what they were doing. They could talk here, right? There were just a couple of staff and an anesthesiologist. They wouldn’t care. They probably wouldn’t even listen.

“Eve… I think we should talk.” Villanelle tried, as Eve started to close up James’s leg. The surgery was almost done. How did all that time go by?

“Dr. Astankova, not now. We’re almost done with this surgery. Could you just focus please?” Eve snapped. Yes, it was mean, but, in her defense, she was in the middle of surgery. 

_‘Dr. Astankova?’_ Was Eve serious? Now, Villanelle was furious. At _everything._

At her parents, for making her feel like shit all the time and making her leave Russia because they didn’t care about what happened to her. 

At Anna, for fucking her over when she thought she was in love. For making her feel safe and accepted, but then throwing it all away.

And now at Eve, who wouldn’t even look at her. They hadn’t done anything wrong. They hadn’t even kissed for God’s sake. Almost, yes. But they hadn’t! So why was Eve being like this? 

Everyone left her. No one stayed. 

Villanelle felt rejected… again. Despite knowing Eve for such a short time, this one hurt more than the others. 

She knew Eve wanted her. Genuinely. Not just for sex. For more. _For her._ Her parents hadn’t even wanted her. And as soon as things got difficult, Anna didn’t want her. 

Eve would ask her questions about her past but knew when to stop. Eve knew about Oksana but continued to call her villanelle because she knew Villanelle didn’t want to be called Oksana. Eve made her feel accepted and loved, something Villanelle thought she had felt before, but now, she knows that with Anna, that wasn’t acceptance. With Eve, though, _that_ was acceptance. Finally, she had found it. But Eve still wouldn’t look at her.

Eve wanted her. Wanted to be around her. Wanted to be _with_ her. 

But, she knew the reason Eve was avoiding her. She was a consultant and Villanelle was a registrar. Villanelle didn’t think this was a problem. After all, Anna was a consultant. That went terribly but that was because Anna was married, not because she was Villanelle’s supervisor. Well, maybe it was a mix of both.

There couldn’t be a rule against it. It would cause a stir in HR, but it wasn’t _prohibited_. Also, they wouldn’t have to tell anyone. So, what did it matter? It was their personal lives, it wouldn’t affect how they did their jobs.

Villanelle didn’t care about the age difference either. As cheesy as it sounds, she felt they _understood_ each other. Their age wasn’t important at all.

So, yes, she was angry at Eve. Not because of her reasonings, because Villanelle could see that, while she didn’t like them, they were _somewhat_ fair reasons. 

She was mad at Eve for not trying. Not even letting herself see where things could go. What she and Villanelle could become. 

Villanelle could see it. She could feel it. Whenever she was around Eve, she felt like _herself_. She wanted Eve to let herself feel the same because Villanelle knew that she would. But, Eve, as everyone else had before, was shutting her out. 

Eve was able to close James up, with Villanelle’s help. He would be just fine. He wouldn’t be able to walk for a while and would definitely need physical therapy, but eventually, he would be okay. 

Villanelle still couldn’t believe Eve wasn’t saying anything _._ She wasn’t saying _anything_. Not a word. Just taking off her gown, like usual. Washing her hands, like usual. She took out her hair tie, like usual. They even got to the elevator, without saying anything. 

Villanelle was furious. Beyond furious. What was a word that meant angrier than furious? Infuriated? Enraged? You get the point.

They went down the two floors, to the Lounge and the on-call rooms. To be fair, there had been other staff in the elevator, so, Eve couldn’t really have spoken there. 

As they stepped off the elevator, Eve still said nothing. Did nothing. She didn’t even look at Villanelle. 

If she did, Eve really didn’t know what she was going to do.

Eve started to walk down the hall towards the Lounge when Villanelle stopped behind her, fed up.

“Eve, come on. Why won’t you just talk to me? You can’t keep avoiding it. You can’t keep avoiding me!” Villanelle said, lifting her arms up and throwing them down. She was so tired of this.

Eve turned around. And then, she did look at her. Those hazel eyes. Were those… tears?

Maybe Villanelle’s eyes were _a little_ watery. But, but did not cry. She had never cried in front of anyone before. Not even Anna. She couldn’t show weakness like that. That wasn’t how she was raised. That perspective was ingrained in her during childhood and had, unfortunately, stuck with her.

Eve sighed. She knew what she **_should_ ** do and she knew what she **_wanted_ ** to do. 

They were very _very_ different things.

Eve quickly walked up to Villanelle and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her down the hall. They passed the Lounge’s door, and to Villanelle’s surprise, Eve pulled her into the first on-call room.

Eve pulled her in and locked the door behind her. Villanelle was now between her and the door, very confused.

“Eve, please, why are you avoiding talking to me? I just want to--” Villanelle started.

“Shut up please, just shut up.” Eve interrupted. 

And then Eve did what she **_wanted_** to do.

She kissed her.

Obviously, it was something that both of them had been thinking about for a while. For Villanelle, it was when she first saw Eve in the elevator Monday morning. For Eve, it was the same. 

If asked, however, Eve would say it was when they watched Camp Rock together and Villanelle told her about Oksana. She couldn’t say that _the first moment_ she saw the woman was when she knew she wanted to kiss her. Despite that being completely and utterly true.

What neither of them expected, however, was Eve to be the one who initiated it. Last time it was Villanelle, though a kiss wasn’t actually achieved. Still, Eve hadn’t pictured pulling Villanelle by the collar of her scrubs and kissing her. She’d thought about kissing her, of course, she’d just imagined the roles reversed. 

Yet, here she was. Kissing Villanelle as if she’s kissed her a hundred times before. It’s delicate but messy. And her lips are _so_ soft. 

Villanelle was surprised and aroused at Eve’s confidence. It wasn’t how she pictured it either, but she wouldn’t change it at all.

She kisses Eve back as if it was the last time, even though she would make _sure_ it wouldn’t be. It was lips, tongues, teeth. Everything. As if all the emotions they’d been feeling spilled out in this one kiss. 

“We probably shouldn’t.” Eve pulled her mouth away, panting heavily. 

One hand was holding the door next to Villanelle as if the _locked_ door would open. The other was on Villanelle’s abdomen, pushing her against the door, making sure the door would definitely _not_ open. She may have been feeling Villanelle’s abs but it was mostly because of the door. 

Both of Villanelle’s hands were buried in Eve’s hair. She _really_ liked her hair, so what?

“Yeah, probably not.” Villanelle whispered, her eyes not moving from Eve’s lips. 

Villanelle went for another kiss and Eve gave in, easily. It was hard not to.

Her hands went up Villanelle’s sides and toward her back, now pulling her closer to _her_ . She was kissing her back with more tongue, and Villanelle’s hands were wandering from Eve’s hair downwards to the outer swell of her breast. It was when she squeezed, she heard Eve moan into her mouth. She was going to make sure she would hear _that_ again.

“Mmm, really we should stop.” Eve finally said, stepping back from Villanelle. If she stayed that close, she knew this would _never_ stop. 

“Yeah. Ok.” Villanelle bit her lip and gave a slight nod, leaning back on the wooden door. Why the hell did she agree? She was really enjoying that.

There were two twin beds on opposite sides of the room, filling up the small space, making it so as many surgeons could fit when they were on-call. Carolyn loved saving a bit of money.

Eve sat on the edge of the closest small twin bed, put her head in her hands, sighing loudly. 

“I think about you all the time.” She finally said, looking up at Villanelle, who was still leaning against the door. 

Villanelle was shocked at the honesty of the confession, but she just smiled.

“I think about you too.” Villanelle basically whispered, slowly walking towards Eve.

“What are we going to do now? We can’t just stay behind closed doors all the time.” Eve weakly gestured toward the door. 

As Villanelle approached Eve, she pulled her legs over and straddled Eve, cupping the woman’s face with her hands. 

“I know... it’s … complicated.” Villanelle murmured, softly stroking Eve’s cheek with her thumb.

Eve closed her eyes and sighed at the contact. It felt so… natural. Why did it feel _so right?_

“We don’t have to tell anyone. It’s private. Obviously, in a perfect world, I’d tell everyone how much I want you to be mine. But..” Villanelle trailed off, still stroking and staring at Eve’s flawless face.

It hurt enough that she _couldn’t_ tell everyone how much she liked Eve. 

“You want me?” Eve finally opened her eyes, making eye contact with those hazel eyes that she was sure would be the death of her.

“Of course, silly. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you in that elevator.” 

Eve grinned. That _stupid_ elevator. Thank God for that _stupid_ elevator.

“I want you... I want to be with you... I want to kiss you..” She started trailing open-mouthed kisses on Eve’s neck. 

“Me too.” Eve announced, smiling. Villanelle looked back up at her, also smiling.

“So what are you waiting for?” Eve teased.

Villanelle just rolled her eyes and leaned in to kiss her. 

Even though she asked for it, Villanelle’s lips still took her by surprise. She’s 99% sure she died and went to heaven. The blonde’s lips are just so soft. Like clouds. Not that Eve’s ever touched a cloud, but _this_ is how soft she imagined them.

Then.. they hear voices. 

Elena’s and.. maybe Kenny’s?

“Where the hell are they?” Elena barked. It must’ve been loud because both Villanelle and Eve heard her _perfectly._

Shit. How long had they been in there?

“Interrupted by Elena, again? Just our luck.” Villanelle murmured, her lips hovering just away from Eve’s. Eve could only smirk at that comment. 

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re asleep? It’s late, well actually it’s early.” It was Kenny outside too. 

Villanelle stepped off Eve, much to her dismay, and Eve pulled out her phone.

It was 1:30 AM. How was she still _wide_ awake?

Then, there was banging on the door. 

“Eve!!! Villanelle! I know you’re in there!! Open up.” Elena yelled, hitting the door repeatedly.

Villanelle and Eve just looked at each other and giggled. It was a little funny that Elena had interrupted them twice. 

Villanelle then walked to the door and opened it, finding Elena with Kenny standing behind her.

“Hey guys, what...what time is it?” Villanelle rubbed her eyes and fake-yawned, resting on the door frame, pretending she had just been woken up by the door-banging. 

Eve rolled her eyes. If surgery didn’t work out, maybe she should go into acting.

“I told you they were asleep.” Kenny whispered to Elena.

“They were not asleep.” Elena gritted through her teeth, turning her head to him and then back at Villanelle and then to Eve.

Of course, Elena could sense it, so now it was Eve’s turn to act.

“We just crashed after James’s surgery. I think we’ll stay here tonight, I know I won’t make it to the train.” Eve walked up behind Villanelle and smiled at Elena.

Villanelle bit her lip to contain her smirk. Sure, she was tired, but she wasn’t _that_ tired.

Elena looked between Villanelle and Eve for a moment. She knew, but she also knew Eve wouldn’t want her to say anything.

“If you say so. I just thought I’d find you before I left. ‘Night guys.” Elena winked at Eve and walked away, and Kenny gave a slight wave before following her down the hall.

Villanelle closed the door and started laughing.

“Well, obviously she knows. Kenny, though, oh my god, he’s clueless.” Villanelle smiled.

“Wouldn’t they make the perfect couple?” Eve asked, heading back to the bed and laying down on her back.

“Wait, they’re not dating? I thought they were together this whole time.” Villanelle said, climbing next to Eve and laying down on her side, facing her. 

Because it was a twin bed, they were very close together. But, at this point, personal space wasn’t an issue.

Eve just laughed and turned her body to face Villanelle. She took her hand and ran it down the side of Villanelle’s cheek. 

Villanelle could get used to this. She was so happy with Eve that she completely forgot about Anna. Why was she still wearing that stupid necklace? Facing Eve on a crappy twin bed in an on-call room was the first time she was _seriously_ thinking about taking it off. For good.

Eve wasn’t even fazed when Villanelle climbed in the bed next to her. She wasn’t even thinking about the consequences of kissing her. She wanted to do it, so she did. And she really liked it. Why would she regret something she enjoyed?

“I think _we’d_ make the perfect couple.” Villanelle whispered, instantly wishing she hadn’t said _that_. What a dumb thing to say. 

This, however, Eve _was_ fazed by. Sure, they had established they liked each other, but, they hadn’t talked about the future. 

What would happen after tonight? Would they be dating? Girlfriends? It made her really nervous. She didn’t want to fuck up. She didn’t want to ruin _this._ Whatever _this_ was. 

So, Eve just put her lips on Villanelle’s. Whatever Villanelle was going to say next was immediately forgotten when she felt Eve’s lips on her own. 

This feeling would never get old.

\--------

They hadn’t fallen asleep this way but Eve woke to find them cuddled next to each other. Eve was facing the wall with Villanelle’s arms wrapped around her waist. 

She felt happy. Content. She felt as if nothing was missing from her life. She’d never felt this way before. Not even with Niko.

She remembered what Villanelle said though, about them being a couple. She could imagine it, obviously. She _wanted_ it to happen. But, she couldn’t help but consider what other people would think. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care, but she did. 

Eve wasn’t ashamed of Villanelle. Not at all. If anything, she imagined Villanelle would be the one that is embarrassed to be with _her._

She thought about the other consultants, what they would think of her dating a registrar half her age. What would the other registrars think? Would they treat Villanelle differently? Eve knew Elena, Kenny, and Hugo wouldn’t, but they weren’t the only surgical registrars at the hospital.

What about Niko? What would he think?

Eve hated the fact she still thought of him. Even after she knew he was with Gemma now, an English teacher at his school. He was leading a new life, moving on. Why couldn’t she? Well maybe because the person she wanted to move on with was the _complete_ antithesis of Niko. The complete antithesis of her ex-husband who she was with for over a decade. 

But, maybe, Villanelle was right. They could keep it a secret for now. No one _had_ to know. It may be hard since they would see each other often, but it could work. Villanelle seemed up to the idea, right? 

Not exactly. Villanelle wanted them to walk hand-in-hand into the hospital, kiss goodbye before they went about their day, meet up in the cafeteria for lunch. Normal stuff. The stuff she didn’t have with Anna.

But she knew Eve was scared. She understood, she didn’t like it, but she understood. She could keep it a secret. For now. Not forever. 

She didn’t want to be someone’s secret, again.

The scary thing though was that _both_ of them were thinking about the future. That _this,_ whatever it was or whatever it could be, would last. They could both feel it. It was long-term. Not a fling, not a one-night stand, not a friends-with-benefits. 

_It was the real deal._

But, when thinking about this, too many questions popped into their brains. How long could they keep it a secret from everyone? (Everyone minus Elena). How long would it be until one of them couldn’t take it anymore? 

Eve had no idea how long Villanelle would be able to do it. She obviously wanted to tell people, to show Eve off. Which Eve did think was very sweet. The fact that Villanelle liked her so much she wanted to rub it in other people’s faces. Still, Eve knew they couldn’t. Not yet. 

Villanelle didn’t know how long she’d last either. But, if this was what Eve wanted, she would do it. If it was the only way she could have Eve, she’d do it.

It would be difficult to not tell people she was getting with the hottest consultant in the hospital, but she’d try her best. For Eve. 

She just didn’t want this to be a repeat of Anna. The secrecy, the locked doors, the betrayal. She knew she wouldn’t survive it again.

Eve was obviously deep in her thoughts because she didn’t even notice Villanelle waking up behind her.

“Morning.” Villanelle whispered into Eve’s neck.

“Hi.” Eve finally responded, turning her body towards the blonde. 

“What time is it? It feels late.” 

Eve pulled her arm over Villanelle to reach for her phone, looking at the time.

“It’s just after 7. Since we’re technically not on-call, do you want to go get breakfast?” Eve said, laying back down.

“Yes, I know you just want coffee but _I_ am very hungry.” Before Eve could even comment, Villanelle captured her lips with her own.

Yeah. They knew this feeling wasn’t going to get old. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple more chapters of bliss before the angst. But, you guys deserve the happiness and fluff. Thanks again for all the comments and kudos <3
> 
> twitter is @villanellesgun


	13. G.F.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and Eve talk... about Anna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter but the next one is coming v soon :)

**Chapter 13**

As they left the hospital, Eve quickly checked on James. He was doing great. His parents were visiting him and his pain was quite low, considering. Eve couldn’t help but smile. Everything seemed to be going a bit  _ too _ perfectly.

She and Villanelle ended up at a small coffee shop that was next to Cherry on Top. Eve recommended it and the blonde told her she’d actually been to pretty much every place in the neighborhood. 

Eve rolled her eyes. She’d faked not knowing her way around to get Eve to take her somewhere. To her credit, it had worked.

They sat down, Eve with a large coffee, Villanelle with a small tea and croissant. A comfortable silence passed over them as Villanelle ate.

“Eve, do you want to be my girlfriend?” Villanelle spoke out of nowhere, her mouth full of croissant, not looking up at the other woman. 

The way she asked the question sounded as if they were 7 years old and had just been on their first play-date.

Eve almost spit out her coffee. It wasn’t a completely irrelevant question, just not one she was expecting _so_ soon. 

Also, the way Villanelle said it... Eve couldn’t help but wonder if Villanelle had ever asked this before. 

She guessed not. She could tell Villanelle wasn’t exactly the ‘girlfriend’ type. Which was fine, there was nothing wrong with that. It just made Eve more nervous to give her an answer.

Villanelle instantly sensed Eve’s nervousness. She just wanted confirmation that Eve actually liked her and that their kiss wasn’t a one-time thing. She assumed asking Eve to be her girlfriend would be the way to do that. No, she’d never asked that question to anyone before, but she’d seen it done on TV. She thought she asked it quite well.

“You don’t have to be, it was just a question. Don’t freak out, just… forget I said anything.” Villanelle mumbled, shoving more of the croissant into her mouth. Eve obviously took too long to answer.

“No! No. I would like that. To be your girlfriend.” Eve said, reaching her hand out and putting it on top of Villanelle’s.

She wasn’t  _ sure.  _ But she’d said yes, anyway. 

She did want Villanelle to be hers. She didn’t want to feel jealous of anyone. Not that she’d have to be, the blonde obviously felt the same. And her smile after Eve answered was completely worth it. 

It was just very… fast. 

But Eve knew that this wouldn’t be a fling so, saying yes wouldn’t hurt, right? Why not label it now, she figured.

Villanelle grinned, the smile reaching her eyes. She sipped her tea and continued eating the croissant. But, the silence just made Eve’s thoughts grow louder.

“Have you ever had a girlfriend before?” Eve couldn’t help herself anymore. This wasn’t out of jealousy, she could just sense…  _ something. _

Villanelle paused, mid-chew. She hadn’t expected a follow-up question like  _ that _ . 

Should she lie? Say she’d had countless girlfriends, some long-term, some short-term? No, she couldn’t lie to her. Not only would Eve see right through her, but Villanelle couldn’t make herself do it. 

Asking Eve to be her girlfriend was a difficult thing for her to say. That’s why she’d asked so nonchalantly. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, even though it  _ was  _ a big deal to her. It was all new to her. 

It was new to both of them. 

But the commitment and dedication to another person,  _ that  _ was new to Villanelle. Eve had been married before, she knew what dating was like. She knew what committing to a relationship was. 

Villanelle had no idea.

“No. I- I… had someone. In Liverpool. But it… it didn’t work out.” Villanelle said simply, staring at the white marble table. 

She tried not to focus on Eve’s eyes, though she wasn’t looking at her, she knew Eve was watching.

Eve’s hand was still on top of her’s. Eve could only squeeze it, making sure Villanelle knew she was here for her.

“Is that… was that why you left?” Eve asked tentatively. She didn’t want to push her, but she did feel there was something Villanelle wasn’t telling her.

Villanelle nodded, finally looking up at Eve. She held back any tears she could feel rising to the surface. She would not waste any time crying over Anna. Not anymore.

Eve was smart. She knew there was more. More to do with this woman from Liverpool, more to do with ‘Oksana’, more to do with the reason Villanelle left mid-year. She couldn’t help but glance at the necklace. The chain was peeking out from under Villanelle’s collar.

Villanelle could see this. She knew Eve wanted to know more. But she hadn’t told anyone about Anna. The only people that knew anything about what happened, other than herself and Anna, were Broadgreen’s Chief Surgeon and whatever he told Carolyn to get her to hire Villanelle. 

Villanelle had told Anna about her past and it scared her. Her past scared Anna so much that she ….. Villanelle couldn’t even think about it. 

She just wanted to move forward. With Eve. She didn’t want to keep going back to the past. 

She pulled her hand away from Eve’s and reached up behind her neck, unclasping the necklace. 

It was time to move on. 

She took it off and dropped it her tea. Dramatic, yes, but it was more about the meaning behind it rather than the action. And Villanelle was a sucker for theatrics.

“That bad, huh?” Eve asked, trying to lighten the mood. She knew that necklace meant a lot to Villanelle and she had just put it in her tea. 

“I just want to move forward and not be stuck in the past anymore. It’s not good for me. It’s not good for us.” Villanelle put her hand down on the table and intertwined their fingers.

Eve smiled, softly. The word ‘us’ was only two letters but it meant so much. It meant that they were together. It was Eve  _ and _ Villanelle, it was them _. Girlfriends.  _ Wow, Eve could hardly believe it.

Her smile faltered though. Yes, she was happy about Villanelle wanting to move past... whatever had happened. But Villanelle still continued to avoid the topic. She didn’t even answer her question. Why couldn’t she just tell her what happened?

Eve wanted to trust her. She just couldn’t shake that feeling that something terrible had happened. What caused her to leave Liverpool so suddenly?  _ Who  _ caused her to leave Liverpool so suddenly?

Villanelle was relieved for a moment. She knew Eve wanted her to say more. But she had just gotten rid of the necklace. Wasn’t that enough?  Then, she reminded herself that Eve didn’t know the full story, so she wouldn’t understand the importance of leaving  _ that _ necklace behind. 

Still, shouldn’t she trust her? Trust her enough to just be content with her leaving that part of her life a secret? It could scare Eve away or have her asking too many questions. Questions Villanelle couldn’t answer. Because if she did, Eve would run for the hills.

Villanelle thought she had been in love with Anna. Now, she realized she hadn’t been. If it were Anna sitting in front of her, Villanelle wouldn’t even consider talking about her past. Not again. Maybe, she  _ was _ learning from her mistakes.

But, she _had_ told Anna about it. Not all of it, but enough. It was her biggest regret. She knew now though, if she could go back in time, she wouldn’t have told Anna a damn thing.

With Eve, however, she more than considered it. She wanted to. She wanted Eve to trust her and her to trust Eve. Villanelle knew secrets were the things that destroyed everything. They  _ had  _ destroyed everything. She couldn’t handle people she cared about keeping secrets from her. And she couldn’t keep secrets from people she cared about. Honesty is the best policy, after all.

She cared about Eve so, the only way for her to trust her was for her to start being honest. It would take time to tell Eve  _ everything _ but she needed to start now. So, here goes nothing.

“Her name was Anna. She.. she made me feel safe. I told her about my past. My parents, my childhood, my real name. I thought I loved her and I thought she loved me but…she didn’t. That’s why I left Liverpool, Eve. She was the one that gave me the necklace.” Villanelle gestured to the necklace which was still sitting in the half-filled teacup. 

Villanelle purposely left out the part that Anna was married and worked at Broadgreen as a consultant. She would not tell Eve that part. Yet.

She knew Eve wasn’t married, but she still avoided saying it because she didn’t want to be judged. Not that she assumed Eve would judge her, but, she knew that going for a married woman in the past wasn’t the best way to present yourself to your current  _ girlfriend.  _

To Villanelle’s defense, her and Anna’s ‘relationship’ wasn’t one-sided, Anna had said to Villanelle (multiple times) that she wasn’t happy in her marriage. It gave Villanelle the false pretense that she could actually end up with Anna. She had been very very wrong, however.

She had very intentionally avoided saying Anna was a consultant. 

It was Eve’s worst nightmare: Villanelle going for a consultant, as a registrar, and it all going to shit. 

Anna hadn’t lost her job because Villanelle was the one that was forced to move. Anna got to stay since  _ she  _ played the victim. She was manipulative and a liar.  Villanelle knew  _ Eve _ wasn’t either of those things.

She was already nervous about their relationship, and she definitely wouldn’t consider being with her if she heard _that_ part of the story. Villanelle, trying to manage keeping this secret by coming up with an excuse, she said, to herself, that she was just saving Eve from heartbreak. 

She didn’t want to hurt her by keeping a secret, but she knew it would her hurt more if she  _ did _ tell her. If they could start the relationship with Eve not knowing this, she wouldn’t consider running away if she ever found out later on. Right?

Villanelle wanted to be honest. But it would take time. She'd never done this before. Luckily, she knew that her relationship with Eve had time. It was the real deal.

“V… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry she hurt you and made you start over. It’s.. not fair.” Eve assured, squeezing their hands softly. Villanelle couldn’t help smile at the nickname.

She was thankful Villanelle shared what she did. She knew it was a summary of what happened but still, it was obviously something painful. She was here for Villanelle. No matter what she told her, she wasn’t going anywhere. 

In some respects, Villanelle was happy with how everything turned out. Without Anna filing a complaint against her and without the Chief Surgeon at Broadgreen’s connection to Carolyn, she would never have met Eve. 

Even now, she couldn’t imagine her life without her. She had wormed her way into Villanelle’s heart. It was nice. Comforting.

Eve was going to make sure Villanelle felt safe around her. She’d had her fair share of bad breakups, none causing her to move to a new city, so, she knew it must’ve been  bad . But _how_ bad? 

She could sense that whatever happened to Villanelle in Liverpool and in Russia, had shaped her view of love and relationships. No wonder she hadn’t had a girlfriend before. Her parents never showed her affection, and now this ‘Anna’ broke her heart so terribly that she could barely speak about it. 

Villanelle was broken and felt she was unloveable. Eve was determined to change that. 

And Eve, just like Villanelle, was nothing if not determined.

\---------

Eve, much to her dismay, had to go home. She needed a shower, a change of clothes, and rest. Yes, she had slept  _ great _ next to Villanelle. But she needed a few more hours.

On her way home, her mind went to the other woman. A woman who was now her  _ girlfriend _ . If you had told Eve two weeks ago that a beautiful blonde 26-year-old registrar would walk in and become her girlfriend, she would have laughed right in your face. 

Now, here she was, sitting on the Tube, smiling while thinking about the blonde. She couldn’t help it. She made her happy. 

But, there was that small part of Eve’s mind that kept telling her that Villanelle wasn’t being completely honest. 

Why would she have to leave Broadgreen because of Anna? Liverpool was a big place, she could easily avoid her. Block her number, avoid places they used to go together, delete photos of them. It didn’t seem that difficult to Eve. There had to be something more. 

Eve had an idea, not a great one, but one that  _ might  _ work.

She really did love investigating. Maybe a bit too much.

\---------

Villanelle basically skipped home. She was on cloud 9. She had a girlfriend. And that girlfriend was Eve. The beautiful, smart, sexy Eve. 

Villanelle had never gotten ‘butterflies’ around Anna. Retrospectively, she realized that she saw Anna as more of a challenge, rather than a potential partner. She conquered the challenge, not understanding the consequences that came with it. 

But, Eve wasn’t a challenge. Sure, she had to flirt with her for a little while, but it was more than that. She could see it becoming love. She’d never been in love before. So, she didn’t know how it felt. But, this feeling was new. It must be that stage of falling, right?

Villanelle didn’t know how to act, she’d never been in a relationship before. She’d seen the movies, however. Should she get Eve flowers? Chocolate? Maybe, she’d like that, Villanelle fantasized. She fantasized about  _ her girlfriend _ for the rest of the day. 

It seemed quick, yes, but Villanelle always knew what she wanted. And what she wanted was Eve. 

And now she had her. She couldn’t tell anyone that, but she still had her. 

And that was enough.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the love on this story!!
> 
> i appreciate all the comments and kudos <3
> 
> twitter is @villanellesgun if u wanna chat w me;)


	14. Tunnel of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brunches & Fun-fairs ft. The Tunnel of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my fav chapter i've written so far:)  
> heavily heavily inspired by Babysitting Grief by uncreativerabbit (go read it please)  
> i love you all, hope everyone is doing well

**Chapter 14**

Late that night, as Eve was getting ready for bed, her phone buzzed. She’d spent half of the day napping, and the other half cleaning up her apartment. She wasn’t the cleanliest, but she had her moments.

**_Villanelle_ ** **_:_ ** _I miss you :(_

Eve smiled, it’d been about 12 hours since seeing each other. She missed her too. It felt silly, missing someone after only a few hours, but she did.

**_Eve:_ ** _Didn’t I just see you this morning?_

 **_Eve:_ ** _I miss you too._

 **_Eve:_ ** _Want to do something tomorrow?_

The reply was almost immediate.

**_Villanelle:_ ** _YES !!!!!! PLEASE !!!!!!_

Eve couldn’t help but chuckle at Villanelle’s reply.

**_Villanelle:_ ** _I think there’s a carnival fair here for the weekend, wanna go?_

Eve had heard of the fair. Niko took her a few times during their marriage. It was by the London Eye and it came to London a couple of times a year. She wasn’t the biggest fan of rides, but she was doing a lot of new things lately.

**_Eve:_ ** _Sure, sounds fun!_

**_Villanelle:_ ** _YAY, can’t wait!! I’ll pick you up at 5 ;)_

**_Eve:_ ** _Not on the motorcycle, ok?_

 **_Eve:_ ** _Okay?_

 **_Eve:_ ** _Villanelle!!_

Villanelle didn’t respond. She loved teasing Eve, it was hilarious.

\------------

She did respond eventually, but only with a motorcycle emoji and a question mark. Eve found her funny, sometimes. This wasn’t one of those times. 

Still, the woman’s childish manner entertained her, despite her possibly having to ride a motorcycle _again_.

Eve made brunch plans with Elena for that morning, so she finally woke up and started to get ready. Eve wasn’t a morning person, everyone that knew her understood that about her. The first thing she did every morning was make a coffee. She did this before brushing her teeth. 

She really wasn’t a morning person. 

As Eve stood next to the coffee pot, her phone buzzed.

**_Elena:_ ** _usual spot in 30?_

They tried to get brunch at least once a week. It used to include Bill but he’s been so busy lately, he hasn’t been able to make it in the past few weeks. The women still tried to continue the little tradition they’d started. It was nice, they would try and avoid talking about work, and focus on themselves. Surgeons had lives outside of the hospital, after all.

Still, Eve was nervous. Elena didn’t know Eve had a girlfriend now. Or that her girlfriend was Villanelle, the new registrar. Obviously, Elena knew _something_ was happening between them, but Eve never gave any details. She hadn’t even told Elena that she saw Villanelle fucking the waitress at Bear’s. Not only did it seem too personal to share, but Eve was shocked enough herself.

She sighed. She wanted to tell Elena everything. Eve knew she could trust her. But then again, Elena sometimes couldn’t help herself. She could slip up and accidentally tell Kenny, who could tell Hugo, who would tell the rest of the hospital. 

Eve wanted to talk _about_ Villanelle to someone who was _not_ Villanelle. Maybe she could talk to Bill? They were overdue for a catch-up, anyway. 

Or she could just tell Elena and trust that she wouldn’t say anything. Bill did have quite a bit on his plate. He didn’t need to carry a secret relationship too.

**_Eve:_ ** _Yup, see you there._

She put her hair in a bun, too lazy to try and tame it. She would try to later, as she _knew_ how much Villanelle preferred Eve’s hair down. She changed into blue jeans and a navy t-shirt with white sneakers. A very ‘Sunday Brunch in London’ look.

She arrived at their usual brunch place, _Rules_. 

It was an old-looking restaurant with a few tables outside and a bunch of booths inside. It overlooked River Thames, which is what drew Eve to it in the first place. It was always crowded around dinner so Eve and Elena decided that meeting for brunch made more sense. 

Eve arrived first, as always, and sat down at their usual table outside. She zoned out, staring at everyone walking on the streets and by the river, as she thought about Villanelle. She actually misses her. When she texted her back, she thought she half-said it to be polite, but now she realized she completely meant it. 

Eve realized she missed Villanelle, often. Basically whenever she wasn’t around her. She had never felt this feeling of possession before. This _need_ to have her around all the time.

With Niko, their lives were connected but never completely. They had long workdays, with Eve having many night shifts before she became a consultant, so they saw each other whenever they could. Eve never _craved_ Niko. Never needed him 24/7. She wanted him, of course, but it was so different. 

It wasn’t constant with Niko, but with Villanelle, it was. 

However, she did recognize part of this feeling from the beginning of her relationship with Niko. 

It was falling in love.

Shit. Now Eve was terrified. 

Elena arrived 10 minutes late, which Eve expected. Eve already ordered their drinks and food since they both got the same thing every time. Eve got an omelet, with a _large_ side of bacon and Elena got bacon, sausage, and egg sandwich. 

They both got mimosas because they thought it was fun and very… brunchy. The mimosas had arrived, but they were still waiting for the food. 

“Hey babe, how are you?” Elena rushed from behind Eve and sat down across from her.

“Good, good. Tired. You?” Eve replied. It was the first time in a while where she didn’t have a lot to say to Elena. Well, she did, but it was the first time she was _avoiding_ saying it.

“Yeah, good. I went back to the hospital yesterday, and everything seemed well with all the kids.” Elena started sipping her mimosa, smiling. 

“Oh good, I’m glad. James was really nice, so was that younger boy even though I didn’t really speak to him.” 

“What was his name? Devin? The one Villanelle put a splint on.” Elena started to smirk.

Why did Eve bring up Villanelle’s patient? It was just an opening for Elena to start talking about the blonde.

“Yeah. Devin.” Eve replied, distractedly looking for their waiter, wanting to avoid talking about Villanelle. She hadn’t made up her mind about telling Elena yet.

“Mmm. So you guys did James’s operation together? It was all good?” Elena asked, still grinning. 

She knew James’s operation went well. Why was she asking? Ugh, well, she _obviously_ knew.

“Yep, all good. It was early in the morning so we were both exhausted and went to the on-call room to sleep.” Eve said quickly, trying to beat around the bush.

Elena didn’t like avoiding the _real_ topic of conversation. She knew exactly what was going on. Well, actually she didn’t know _all_ of it, but she knew enough.

“Oh my god, Eve! I know you two fancy each other, you don’t have to hide it from me. I’m your best friend!” Elena half-yelled, throwing her arms up and down.

Eve sighed. She made a decision. She’s sure Villanelle wouldn’t be mad, Elena basically knew anyway.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s all so… new. She’s the first person I actually like since Niko and I really don’t wanna fuck it up. Especially since we work together and she’s a registrar. It’s just….” Eve trailed off. 

“Babe… she really likes you. She told me herself. Honestly, she’s a bit crazy about you. And I know you. You’re not gonna fuck it up. Yes, she’s a registrar so it’s not ideal, but you can’t help who you have feelings for.” Elena put her hand on top of Eve’s. 

She was there for her through Niko and the divorce, and she’d be here for her now.

Eve smiled. Elena did always know what to say. Eve couldn’t believe she thought about not telling her.

“She talked to you about me?” Eve blushed. She felt like she was in junior high, learning that someone had a crush on her.

“Yeah, when she asked me for your number. She was saying you were avoiding her after a movie night where you slept over. You didn’t mention that to me, so I was a bit hurt, but, when I asked why she needed your number, she said she needed to talk to you because she liked you. Then, I got really excited and told her she should take you out. Which I’m guessing she did since she was with you when I called the other day.” Eve smiled as Elena talked. 

She had no idea how much Villanelle liked her and what she did to talk to her. It made her blush, knowing the fact Villanelle went out of her way to get her number. It was a simple thing, but actions did speak louder than words.

“Sorry, I didn’t tell you. I just…. got scared. I fell asleep after watching a movie at her place and when I woke up on the couch, I kinda freaked out and tried to avoid her. I regret it because it didn’t help my feelings. Like at all. If anything, I think I started liking her more after not seeing her for a few days.” 

“Well, you know what they say… absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Elena chuckled at herself, Eve shoved her arm.

“It’s all very very new, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.. you know.. tell anyone. Not yet.” Eve said, nervously. 

“Of course, babe. I got you. I just can’t believe you’re shagging the new registrar. I’m so proud of you!” Elena exclaimed.

“Well… we haven’t .. exactly…” 

She didn’t want to rush things with Villanelle. She wanted to take things slow. Sure, she had thought about it in the on-call room, but that was definitely _not_ where they were having their first time.

“Oh my god, I bet she’s an absolute goddess in bed, Eve you’re so lucky.” Elena said bluntly, eyes wide. Eve’s face was tomato-red at this point.

“Let’s just talk about something else. Anything else.” 

And timely enough, their food arrived.

\-----------

After talking about Villanelle, she moved the subject to Elena and her life. Elena did so much outside of work, it really amazed Eve. I think she even said she was part of a dance club now? Eve was always blown away by the things Elena made time for. 

When Eve got home, she realized she still needed to pick out an outfit. She was very eager to spend time with Villanelle, not at work, but in public. A place where no one cared about who they were or what they were doing. They could hold hands, kiss. No one would bat an eye.

Also, Villanelle seemed very excited to go to a carnival. She seemed the competitive type. But, so was Eve. 

She was excited to see how one of them would act when they lost a game. She also knew that Villanelle’s childish side would certainly come out. And that in itself, would be hilarious.

She decided on something not too fancy, but something that did say ‘I tried with this outfit’. It was a gray button-down shirt, tied in a knot at the front, with ripped skinny jeans. 

She did leave her hair down, hopefully, Villanelle would notice. She was debating on wearing booties or sneakers. She went with her plain white sneakers, just in case she needed to chase Villanelle. You never knew with that woman, better be safe than sorry.

Villanelle, on the other hand, had been counting down the minutes until she had to go pick Eve up. She already picked out her outfit that morning: skinny faux-leather pants, a black sleeveless crop top, and a small leather jacket. Not only would the crop top show off her abs, but the pants showed off ass, and the jacket gave the ‘badass’ vibe she wanted. 

Perfect outfit. 

She also, after many arguments (in her own head), decided _not_ to drive the motorcycle. She wanted Eve to get used to it eventually, but forcing her onto it wasn’t the way Villanelle was going to do it. She decided, for the both of them, they would walk. The carnival wasn’t actually that far so really she didn’t _need_ the motorcycle.

She had spent most of the day trying to find things to occupy her mind. She ran for quite a while, running all the way to the carnival. 

Her goal was to scout out her favorite games and rides she wanted to bring Eve on. To her disappointment, they were still setting everything up so she couldn’t see anything. She ran to Cherry on Top where she got more ice cream. Cookies and cream this time. There were closer ice cream shops but, this was the one she and Eve went to, so she’d always prefer this one. 

Eventually, she returned to her apartment, showered, and got ready. She stared at herself in the mirror for a while, not in a self-absorbed way, but in an ‘I wonder what Eve is wearing’ way. Let’s just say, she thought about Eve quite a bit. 

Eve had been sipping wine when she heard the doorbell. She always drank wine when she was nervous, and now, she was _very_ nervous. 

This was their first official date. 

She needed it to go well.

She didn’t want to jump the gun, but Eve could really see her and Villanelle going somewhere. It wasn’t going to be a fling, she knew this for sure. 

Then again, she didn’t want to scare Villanelle by coming off too clingy or too forward. She would just… go with the flow. That’s what people did, right?  
  


Except, Eve didn’t do that. Ever. She wanted to know what was happening, where, and when. She kept trying to just… relax. 

Hence, the glass of wine.

She got up and answered the door and there she was. Looking absolutely fantastic. 

Villanelle was 100% right when she said the crop top would show off her abs, abs she already knew Eve liked, and the pants would show off her ass, an ass she knew Eve _would_ like. 

Eve was… speechless. Villanelle was really the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And she was _her_ girlfriend. 

She obviously stared at Villanelle (her abs and ass included) for a bit too long.

“Well, aren’t you going to greet me, Eve?” Villanelle said, pulling hands from her back, revealing a bouquet of roses, holding them out for Eve. 

She had decided to give Eve flowers as she walked to her apartment and saw a flower shop a block from her house. She was (not so) secretly very romantic.

“Yes, yes, sorry. You look great … and thank you for the roses, they’re beautiful.” Eve replied, smiling, and took the roses from Villanelle’s hand.

“Come in, please.” Eve stepped back and held the door open while Villanelle walked in, her hair in a low-bun. 

Those pants though…. it was hard not to stare, okay?

How Villanelle was able to stroll into a room and command every aspect of it completely amazed Eve. It was a talent, in all honestly.

“I like your place. Very you.” Villanelle said, looking around the small apartment.

It was much smaller than Villanelle’s but she was right. It was very _Eve._ The small couch and the TV, the kitchen (that was barely used because Eve didn’t know how to cook), the cute bedroom, and the ‘office’ that was filled with files after files. 

Eve liked her apartment, it had everything she needed. She could afford a bigger one, but she didn’t want to move. She liked the area, it was relatively close to the hospital, and again, it had everything she needed.

She walked behind Villanelle and went into the kitchen, grabbing an empty container, filled it with water, and put the roses in it. No one had gotten her flowers in years, and roses nonetheless. She blushed again.

When she walked out, she found Villanelle looking at the photos on the shelf next to the TV. There were photos of her father and mother, mostly. There used to be some of her and Niko, but she’d put those in some box when she’d cleared out his stuff. Eve rested herself on the wall, gazing at Villanelle.

“Do you miss him?” Villanelle asked, still looking at the photos.

Eve knew who she meant. It was hard to talk about, but she was her girlfriend now. And Villanelle, someone she could tell wasn’t used to talking about personal things, had shared quite a bit about her past with Eve. She felt Villanelle should know more about her too.

Eve also found herself trusting Villanelle. She had a way of making her feel like she could tell her anything and Villanelle would listen.

“Every day.” Eve replied, honestly. She could feel the tears building.

“You said he died of a hit-and-run.” Villanelle simply stated, looking up at Eve.

“When I was 18, yeah.” Eve nodded and looked down at the floor. If she kept looking into Villanelle’s eyes, she would definitely start crying.

“I’m sorry, that must’ve hurt a lot. You were barely an adult.” Villanelle started to walk up to Eve. 

She’d lost her father too, but it wasn’t the same. He had died after she had moved. She didn’t care about her father and her father hadn’t cared about her. 

But, Eve’s father obviously did and Eve obviously cared about him. She was trying to empathize as much as she could. She had never been good with empathy, or emotions frankly, but with the people she cared about, she tried her best.

“Yeah, it was hard. But I got through it.” Eve tried to lie, but her voice crack gave her away. That’s when the tears started to fall.

“Oh, Eve.” Villanelle quickly wrapped her in a hug, putting her chin on Eve’s head, squeezing her body tight.

It lasted for a few minutes, but Villanelle rubbing circles on her back and the warmth of her touch made Eve feel safe. She finally stopped crying.

“God, I have to stop doing that. I’m sorry.” Eve sniffled and wiped her face, stepping away from Villanelle.

“Don’t be.” Villanelle cupped Eve’s face in her hands, wiped away the remaining tears with her thumbs, and placed a peck on her lips.

“Ready to go?” Villanelle’s eyes widened.

\------------

They got to the carnival fair quicker than they thought. And there was barely a queue! Villanelle _hated_ waiting in lines. It was only 15 pounds to get in. Very cheap considering this was right in the middle of London. They received a few tickets for the rides. Villanelle held on to them, jumping up and down like a child. 

“I want to go on all of them.”

Oh god. This was going to be fun.

As soon as they got in, Villanelle raced to the nearest game. She _loved_ games. 

Eve was somewhat alarmed at how good Villanelle was at the Shooting Gallery game. She shot down every target, stationary _and_ moving. After a while, Eve found it was _very_ attractive. 

The little boy waiting behind them was just as impressed as Eve. 

The attendant had the audacity to say no one could shoot down all the targets. 

The largest prize was a big stuffed teddy bear wearing a blue shirt that said ‘I <3 London’. It was cute, kinda. Touristy.

Villanelle couldn’t help but smirk when the attendant begrudgingly stood up on his stand and pulled it down to hand to her when she knocked down _all_ the targets. She held it tightly as they walked around. Eve was only _a little_ jealous. The bear wasn’t her _girlfriend_ , Eve told herself.

“Do you wanna go on a ride?” Villanelle asked, still hugging the bear.

“Uhh yeah sure...we have tickets for the Ferris wheel, the carousel, the Tunnel of Love, and….. the bumper cars.” Eve listed, reading out from the tickets in her hand, ones she had taken from Villanelle.

When she was with Niko, she always asked to avoid the bumper cars. Obviously, she had been in a car since her father died, but the idea of crashing into someone else’s, on purpose, never sat right with her. 

Niko knew about her father’s death, not in great detail, but he knew. He never questioned why she didn’t want to go on the ride. He just... moved on.

However, it was just a ride. And she enjoyed the image of her and Villanelle teaming up to bump into some teenager’s car. They weren’t real cars, after all. And Eve needed to get over this fear eventually.

“How about the bumper cars?” Eve said, looking at Villanelle.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to…” Villanelle could sense that crashing into other people’s cars, real or fake, wouldn’t be something Eve wanted to do.

“No, it’s okay, let’s go. It’ll be fun.” Eve put a hand on Villanelle’s shoulder, reassuring her that she would be okay. 

And she would. 

It wasn’t her father’s memory that would frighten her. It would be Villanelle’s driving.

Villanelle had said -- no, announced -- that _she_ would be driving. After what felt like an eternity of the attendant explaining the rules (no head-on collisions, staying in the vehicle, other safety concerns..), Villanelle was ready to go. 

And guess what? She broke every single rule. 

She wanted Eve to have fun. And to her, having fun was breaking the rules. 

And Eve _was_ having fun. Having fun saying sorry to every car and its passengers. Having fun trying to grab the wheel from Villanelle. Having fun smiling at Villanelle as she laughed while she crashing into _another_ car.

“Hey! Car 12, if I have to ask again, I will have to kick you off the ride.”

“Ok, sweetheart, time to not crash and just drive, okay?” Eve finally was able to grab the wheel, only because Villanelle paused to stare at her after hearing ‘sweetheart’. 

No one had called her ‘sweetheart’ before. 

Luckily, they were _not_ kicked off the ride, but they did get plenty of stares as they got up and out of the car.

“More games?” Villanelle asked, after begging Eve for cotton candy. 

Eve surprised herself at how good she was at the Ring Toss. Eve got ⅘ rings on the soda bottles. She didn’t win an annoyingly large teddy bear, but she did win an annoyingly _small_ polar bear. Villanelle laughed when she showed her the prize.

They played a few more games, collecting small prizes that Villanelle was _determined_ on keeping, before the reached the Duck Pond. 

“I want you to pick me the best duck, Eve.” Villanelle said.

“Well, how will I know which duck is best?”

“Whichever duck you pick, it’ll be the best.” Villanelle added with a wink. Charmer.

Eve spent longer than she should have to pick a duck. She may have heard a child behind them tell her to hurry up. 

She finally picked one, turning it over to find the number ‘1’. Ugh. 

That meant the small prizes. She walked over to the prizes, Villanelle standing far behind her, finishing her cotton candy. Apparently, they don’t have cotton candy in Russia. Or Scotland. Or Liverpool. _That’s_ why Villanelle wouldn’t share it with her.

The attendant gave her the choices of a few pieces of jewelry, candy, and other toys. It wasn’t _jewelry_ jewelry. They were cheap pieces of plastic. But, when Eve saw it, she knew she had to give it to Villanelle. 

When Eve walked up to her, she had finished the cotton candy. Eve never got a bite of it. 

“So, what did you win?” 

“Turn around.” Eve had her hands behind her back.

“Ok…” Villanelle tilted her head in confusion but did as she was told.

Eve stepped on her tip-toes and put her hands around Villanelle’s neck, fastening the necklace around her. 

It wasn’t like her old one. It was a gold chain (not actual gold, it was from a cheap carnival, after all) with a small heart pendant at the front. Villanelle turned around, running her hand over the pendant, and looked at Eve.

“I love it. Thank you.” 

Sure, it wasn’t 24k, but that didn’t matter to Villanelle. Usually, it would. But Eve had thought of _her._ Thought of her getting rid of the other necklace. Thought of what that meant to her. 

She was not looking at the past but in the future. _Their_ future. That old silver ‘O’ necklace was her past. And this cheap, fake-gold, heart necklace was her future. 

_Eve_ was her future.

“You know what this calls for?” Villanelle asked Eve, tipping her head forward.

“What does it call for?” Eve mimicked Villanelle’s head motion, getting ready for some joke she had coming.

“The Tunnel Of Love.”

\----------------

There was a small line to get in, all filled with couples, but they finally got into the front. Villanelle handed the attendant the teddy bear, annoying both of them. 

Villanelle wanted to take it on the ride, but when she saw how small the carts were, she gave it to the attendant to hold. Eve muttered an ‘I’m sorry’ to the employee as they sat into the cart, their knees touching.

It was literally a tunnel of love. With pink and red lights. And hearts everywhere. 

Eve was looking at the lights, wondering how they worked when Villanelle put her hand on her thigh. Eve briefly glanced at her hand and then up at her. She was closer, her eyes wider, her pupils darker.

Eve’s eyes instinctively dipped to her lips. Villanelle smirked and leaned in to kiss her.

Any tension vanished as their lips connected and Eve sighed into Villanelle’s mouth. Her hands went to Villanelle’s face initially, but her hands went back, both resting on the back of Villanelle’s head, pushing her closer. She felt teeth against her bottom lip and her fingers traced her jawline as she whimpered into Villanelle. 

“You are very sexy, Eve.” Villanelle murmured against her lips.

Eve doesn’t remember the last time someone told her that and meant it. But, now she was making out with this woman in the Tunnel of Love. And she knew she meant it.

The Tunnel of _Love_ , oh my god. What was she doing? And why was she enjoying it _so_ much?

Villanelle’s lips clashed with Eve’s again, it was clumsy and passionate, Villanelle’s other hand finding its way to Eve’s breast, cupping it, squeezing it. Her other hand continuing to move up and down Eve’s thigh.

Eve knew that in a small car inside the Tunnel of Love, however romantic it was, wasn’t very practical, but she really didn’t care. She wanted this. So bad.

She managed to resist a moan, with a small groan escaping from her mouth instead. She sat up straighter, pushing herself toward Villanelle to try and relieve the pressure that was quickly building between her legs. 

She felt Villanelle’s hand drop from her chest, gliding its way down Eve’s body, down her stomach. The two of them broke apart again, Villanelle’s face filled with a smirk that showed just how much she wanted this too. Her hand, that started at her thigh, was now pushing between Eve’s legs. She was trying to stop the moan that eventually came out, as Villanelle moved her hand even further up.

Then they heard someone clear their throat. 

Villanelle and Eve both retracted their arms from each other and looked up to see _the_ attendant, carrying _the_ teddy bear, staring at them. 

The ride was over and they were at the entrance again. It felt as if two minutes had gone by.

They quickly got out, Villanelle grabbed the teddy bear and they walked out of the ride.

“Why do they make those rides so short? It doesn’t make sense to me.” Villanelle said as they walked passed the games and other rides, all of which they had conquered.

“Me either.” Was all Eve could say. She tried not to think about what would’ve happened if that ride _was_ longer. 

“What do you want to do now?”

“We still have the Ferris Wheel.”

“Yes.” Villanelle grabbed Eve’s arm and pulled her in the direction of the London Eye.

Usually, you’d have to pay a ridiculous amount to get on the Eye. But, because of the carnival and the promotions that came along with it, it was a lot cheaper. And because it was quite late at this point, most of the kids and their parents had gone home, meaning a shorter queue.

They got to the front of the line relatively quickly, and luckily, the carriage was more than big enough for Villanelle, Eve, _and_ the teddy bear. They were also letting parties go in a carriage by themselves, which allowed Eve and Villanelle to have their privacy. Eve really didn’t want to share the space with another couple. She just wanted Villanelle.

Once they got in and hit the peak, the view was breathtaking. You could see all the way down River Thames, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, The Tower Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral. You could even see St. Thomas and Westminster Bridge! All the lights and the colors were just… spectacular. 

The last time she had been on the Eye was with Niko, five years ago. It was their 10-year anniversary. It had been the _perfect_ night. Until Eve was called to the hospital due to an emergency with one of her patients. She had to cut the night short to _save someone’s life_ and Niko yelled at her so much, she had cried. It was one of their biggest fights. 

It always confused Eve how a night could start _so good_ and end _so bad_.

Eve was looking at the view, hands on the railing, when Villanelle wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her chin on Eve’s shoulder.

“The last time I was here, I was with Niko.” Eve said, still looking down the river.

Villanelle moved to Eve’s side, still with an arm around her waist. She didn’t know of Niko. She had made a guess that Eve had been married in the past, but she was never sure. She assumed Eve would talk about it when she felt comfortable.

“My ex-husband.” Eve clarified, realizing Villanelle had no idea who Niko was.

Villanelle just nodded, she couldn’t tell if this was a good memory or a bad one.

“It was our 10-year anniversary. He took me to dinner and then up here, it was so nice. I was so happy. But, my patient was crashing so the hospital called me, and…. he made me feel like shit. I mean… like the actual worst. I can’t believe I...” Eve shook her head, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. 

She couldn’t believe she stayed with him for as long as she did. She didn’t like admitting such a huge mistake, especially since she really thought she was happy with him.

Villanelle could never understand how anyone could treat Eve like that. She was perfect. 

“He shouldn’t have made you feel bad for just doing your job. The job you do so extraordinarily well. I’ve never seen someone care for their patients as much as you do, Eve. Really. You do everything for them. That’s why I wanted to be a surgeon, because of people like you. You.. really amaze me, Eve.” Villanelle wanted to say something else at the end, but she decided what she had said was easier. 

Eve turned to her, eyes glassy. She found someone that understood her.

Understood what her job means to her. She didn’t _choose_ her job _over_ Niko. She married him. She _had_ chosen him. Her job was never up for discussion, it wasn’t in comparison. Villanelle understood that. 

She wasn’t in opposition to Eve’s job. She existed in Eve’s life and so did her job. Niko never realized that he wasn’t in competition with it. They were both parts of her.

It did help that Villanelle was also a surgeon, so she knew more than Niko ever could.

“Thank you.” Eve pulled Villanelle in for a kiss and that’s when she knew.

She was falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know there's a lot going on in the KE fandom, but i hope this chapter made you happy
> 
> love you all <3


	15. Exam Room 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve in Carolyn's office and Villanelle on Peds make for an interesting week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW!!...yes, you read that right. I changed the rating don't worry lol.
> 
> Love you all, and thanks for still loving this story. There is the start of an actual plot in this chapter, but you have to squint.   
> It is going to pick up in the next few chapters, I just need to build up their story so it hurts more (sorry <3).

**Chapter 15**

Monday morning was just like any other, except, Villanelle was on Peds this week. 

And she wasn’t a fan of children. 

Not only would she have to spend time with Hugo, who kept trying to flirt with her, she would also have to take care of  _ other _ children. 

She was sitting in the Lounge, with Hugo and Jess, as they were catching her up on their current patients. She was trying to focus on Jess, who was talking about a 12-year-old that had hepatoblastoma, when Eve walked in the door. 

She looked so beautiful. Her hair was down (which always excited Villanelle), and she was wearing black jeans and a light purple button-down. The color suited her so well. Villanelle felt a little proud of her fashion choice. She wasn’t the biggest fan of the bland turtle necks or plain coats Eve usually wore.

She stared at the brunette as she walked in, heading straight for the coffee maker, of course. Then she realized... those were  _ her  _ skinny jeans. From the night she slept over. Eve was doing this to taunt her. She knew it.

Villanelle shook her head ever so slightly, she would get her back for this. But for now, hepatoblastoma. 12-year-old. Surgery.

She focused on Jess for maybe a minute more, before she heard Jaime walk in. Villanelle didn’t like Jaime. She didn’t  _ have  _ to have a reason. But don’t worry, she did.

During her first few days at St. Thomas, Elena was kind enough to tell her  _ all  _ the hospital gossip. This included who liked who, who had dated who, who  _ was  _ dating who, etc. Obviously, Villanelle --ever so subtly-- asked about Eve (if she liked anyone or whether she was dating anyone).

She said she was single and she didn’t think she liked anyone at the hospital. What Elena did know, however, was that  _ Jaime  _ liked Eve. Villanelle, as you can probably guess, was very unhappy with this information. 

So, when Jaime walked into the Lounge and glanced at Eve’s ass (in  _ her  _ jeans), Villanelle was furious. And jealous. She knew she didn’t have to be since Eve was  _ her _ girlfriend, but the thought of anyone thinking they had a chance with the goddess that was Eve, made her seethe with rage. 

Jess  _ finally  _ finished talking about her patients. Villanelle appreciated the detail she went into but now was just not the time for it. Jess told Hugo and Villanelle to meet her in the NICU in 10 minutes to check on their first patient.

Eve was sitting at the circular table, drinking her coffee, and reading an article on her phone. It was about the psychological trauma that can occur after neurosurgery, including changes in someone’s personality and moods. No, it wasn’t about trauma surgery exactly, but she loved to read about psychology, and, from time to time, she did assist in neurosurgeries. So, the article was relevant, okay?

As soon as Jess left, Hugo followed. Villanelle wasn’t listening to him, but he said something about getting breakfast from the cafeteria. She stood up from the couch, where she had been seated, and raced over to Eve, sitting next to her.

“Hi,” Villanelle said, scooting her chair closer to Eve’s.

“Good morning, Villanelle,” Eve replied, still looking at her phone, a smile tugging at her lips.

“You look very nice today.” Villanelle murmured, rested her palm on her chin, as she continued to stare at the brunette. 

Jaime had also made his coffee and replaced Villanelle when he sat on the couch. He was far enough away so he couldn’t hear them  _ if _ they whispered.

“Why thank you. You do too.” Eve continued to look at her phone and not at Villanelle, who was just wearing her scrubs.

“You flatter me too much, Dr. Polastri. I’m merely wearing my normal everyday scrubs.” Villanelle pulled at her scrub collar, pushing her bottom lip forward, in a fake-pout.

Jaime cleared his throat, looking up at them briefly before returning to his newspaper and coffee.

“Dr. Astankova, will you help me with a case of mine? I need a second opinion and I know you’re free for a few minutes.” Eve said with a much more serious and professional tone, pushing her phone in her pocket.

Eve did not need help with a case nor did she need a second opinion.

“Of course Dr. Polastri, where to?” Eve started to stand up, putting her empty coffee-mug in the sink behind her. Villanelle stood up as well, turning toward the door.

“Oh, just down the hall to Exam Room 1. My files are in there.” 

Eve did not have any files in Exam Room 1.

The older woman was never a fan of hard-core exercise, that’s why surgery was so nice, you stood for hours. You didn’t have to run or jog. But it was still a mentally-stimulating and difficult job. However, as she followed Villanelle down the hall, definitely  _ not _ looking at her ass in those scrubs, she felt the need to grab her and sprint to Exam Room 1. 

They finally reached the room, passing many nurses and staff on their way there. Villanelle, still a little in front of her, walked into the room first, with Eve behind her. As soon as she heard the door close, the blonde turned around and pushed Eve against it.

“You know… if you want to borrow some of my clothes, you could have just asked.” She whispered, her hands pressed on the door, next to Eve’s head.

“Hmmm okay, well then can I _please_ wear your jeans?” Eve grinned. While she didn’t want to risk someone walking in, she had to admit this was a little fun.

“Fine, but only because you asked so nicely… and your ass looks amazing in them.” Her lips were only a breath away from Eve’s, and her hands moved from the door to Eve’s ass, squeezing it. Just to emphasize her point.

The brunette couldn’t take it anymore. She wrapped her arms around Villanelle’s neck and pulled her in, connecting their lips. Both of them felt like teenagers, unable to keep their hands off of each other for more than 5 minutes.

She reached up and threaded her hands through Villanelle’s hair, tugging lightly and feeling the vibration of the blonde's moan through her. As their tongues slid against one another, Eve bit the blonde’s bottom lip. 

She could feel a throbbing start at her core, making her press her thighs closer together. Villanelle’s tongue ran across Eve’s bottom lip and continued to push its way into her mouth, making her whimper. This encouraged the other woman, squeezing Eve’s ass even harder, making the brunette arch her back toward her. 

Villanelle pulled back and watched her, letting her hand move from Eve’s ass to her lower back, pulling Eve even closer as they wrapped around her waist.

The blonde’s mouth moved down and nipped at the skin of Eve’s neck.

“Fuck,” Eve whispers, her hands still wrapped around Villanelle’s neck. She really can’t remember ever being this turned on before.

The blonde’s right-hand squeezes Eve’s ass again and her hips roll into her (again) involuntarily. Lips trail down Eve’s neck, kissing and biting, the brunette’s hands still tangled in honey-blonde hair.

“Mmm, you should probably get down to Peds,” Eve breathed.

“Kids annoy me. I don’t like them.” Villanelle murmurs against Eve’s neck.

“Well, pretend you do… for me.” Eve laughed, the blonde standing up straight and looking at her.

“For you.” Villanelle pressed their lips together once more before stepping away.

Eve opened the door and they both exited, the nurses and staff outside none the wiser.

\------------

Villanelle was really trying. Really. She was trying to pretend these children didn’t annoy her. She was trying to sympathize, they were going to have surgery, so she really tried to feel bad. But one yelled in her face and threw food -- almost ruining her shoes. So, you can probably guess, she wasn’t very happy. 

Here’s a snapshot of  _ one  _ encounter of the day:

“Please stop crying! I don’t like it!” Villanelle was rocking a baby in her arms. His condition was improving, enough so that people were able to hold him.

The baby didn’t stop crying. She kept rocking him until…

“Oh. My. God.” He threw up all over her scrubs. 

Her week was even worse. Because Jess was pregnant and Hugo (technically) had a year more of training than her, she was assigned the gruesome night shifts. With the babies. 

She hated it. 

Also, because Eve was a consultant, _she_ had more flexibility in her schedule. Therefore, Eve didn’t have any night shifts when Villanelle did. Not that she was expecting to see her, but she was definitely hoping for it. 

They’d only been able to see each other briefly throughout the week. Villanelle counted: two times for lunch, two times in the 2nd floor supply closet, and another time in the  _ lovely _ Exam Room 1. 

They hadn’t had sex yet, Villanelle didn’t want to rush Eve. Still, she was getting  _ slightly  _ impatient. Regardless, she wanted their first time to be special. As nice as she found Exam Room 1, she wasn’t going to have sex with Eve in there for the first time.

When Friday finally ended, she was exhausted. She had watched countless of babies in the NICU, helped Hugo on an appendectomy earlier, gotten spit on (by a baby), and was yelled at (by a tween). 

She hadn’t even had time to meet Eve for lunch that day. It wasn’t a fun day (or week) in Peds. 

On the bright side, she definitively decided that her specialty would  _ not _ be Pediatrics. And her week with babies was over. Thank god. Whatever specialty she was on next week would  _ easily _ be better. There was another up-side. She was done with work for the week. And so was Eve….probably. She quickly went from the Peds wing to A&E to check.

She saw Eve, chatting with an old man sitting in one of the hospital beds. She was smiling and nodding as the man was talking animately. Villanelle couldn’t help but smile. The brunette really loved helping people. So did Villanelle, but Eve was  _ so  _ happy that it made  _ her _ even happier.

The brunette could feel eyes on her and, sure enough, when she looked up, she saw her girlfriend gazing at her. She smiled and waved. Eve said goodbye to the man and walked over to the blonde _.  _

“Hi, how was work?” Villanelle asked, both of them turning walking toward the elevator.

“Good, I actually had an easy day. What about you? The kids alright?” Eve asked, smirking, picturing the blonde acting around a child.

“Oh god don’t get me started. I’m so happy I’m done there. One kid spit on me today. Ridiculous.” Villanelle shook her head, obviously very traumatized at the memory.

“A kid spit on you? How old were they? What did you do?” She inquired, never hearing about children spitting on you in Peds. 

If it were anyone, she would’ve guessed it be on Hugo, not Villanelle.

“It was a baby. But, still, I was being very nice to it! I don’t know what I did to deserve a spit to the face.” She answered, smiling, as they walked up to the elevator.

Eve laughed. Of course, it was an infant. They didn’t know any better! Clearly, Villanelle wasn’t big on kids.

“Oh my god, that’s hilarious! I can’t believe a baby spit at your face.” Eve was almost in tears as they walked into the empty elevator. It really was very funny.

“Eve! It’s not funny, it almost got in my eye!” Villanelle was trying to be serious, but her grin gave her away. Eve laughing made her smile. She couldn’t help it.

“I know.. I know.. it’s just… it was a newborn, I’m sure it wasn’t personal.” Eve said, turning towards her, smiling. 

She was so happy at that moment, she almost forgot about what happened at lunch.

\----------

Before her lunch break, she texted Villanelle if they wanted to make plans. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to since Peds had a busy schedule today (as she heard in detail from Villanelle later on). So, when Villanelle responded confirming that she couldn’t go to lunch, Eve set out on her mission. She’d have done it earlier this week, but she was either with Villanelle during her lunch or had to work through her break.

She wolfed down a sandwich from the cafeteria and headed up to the 8th floor. Carolyn’s office. 

She gingerly knocked on the office door where she finally heard Carolyn.

“Come in.” Eve heard through the wooden door.

“Hey, Carolyn?” Eve said, walking in.

“Oh hello, Eve. Did you need something?” She said but Eve didn’t even see her look up at her. How she even know it was her? This woman was really something else.

Her office was quite large, a wall filled with windows in the back, a desk in the middle, with two bookshelves on either side. Carolyn was at her desk, glasses on, reading some papers in front of her.

“Yeah uhm, I guess I just had a question…”

“Was that your question?” 

Was Carolyn trying to be funny? Eve really didn’t know. She decided to just move past it.

“Uh no, I was curious about Vill- Dr. Astankova...About why she left Broadgreen, specifically. It just seems a bit odd, her being right in the middle of her second year...”

Carolyn looked up at her then. Eve knew this wasn’t the best way to go about it. But, something was eating at her. The blonde, who was now her girlfriend, wasn’t telling her something and she knew if she asked her again, she would just continue to avoid it. If anything, Villanelle would probably get upset at her for bringing it up again. 

She trusts Villanelle. She really does. It’s not really about trust. More, security. Safety. 

Eve didn’t want to worry about the blonde’s past coming to hurt them and their relationship. She had a feeling that whatever the blonde wasn’t telling her, was something that could come back and haunt them. She just wanted to feel completely safe with Villanelle, before she told people they were dating. 

Eve just wanted to be  _ sure. _

“Oh. Well, it’s not any of my business, really. But, I did hear it was over a disagreement with a coworker. Honestly, Eve, if you want to know, it’s probably best just to ask Ms. Astankova herself.” Carolyn said, hands clasped in front of her.

Carolyn knew more than what she was saying. But she, like Villanelle, wasn’t going to say anything that they didn’t want to. 

It was a lost cause. Eve knew it was a long-shot anyway.

“Right yeah, thanks, Carolyn.” Eve turned toward the door. She had been awkwardly standing in the middle of the room this whole time. Carolyn hadn’t offered her a seat.

“Don’t know what I did really, but no worries.” She put her glasses back on and looked back at the papers she was reading.

Eve went back into the elevator and then back to the Lounge for the rest of her lunch. She started thinking about what Carolyn had said. Granted, it wasn’t much. But a disagreement... with a coworker… caused Villanelle to  _ leave  _ Liverpool? It didn’t make sense. 

What kind of argument would prompt sending a registrar in the middle of their second year to another the hospital in another city? Also, Villanelle had said it was  _ Anna _ that caused her to leave Liverpool….

That’s when it clicked.

Anna  _ was  _ the coworker. 

\--------------

“You know, I think it was personal. Very personal. It was a sign, for sure.” Villanelle said, wrapping her arms around Eve’s waist. Don’t worry, there was no one in the elevator and they had a couple more floors to go.

“A sign for what?” Eve inquired, naturally wrapping her arms around Villanelle’s neck.

“I am  _ not  _ going into Peds. That is off the list.” Villanelle smirked, knowing how interested Eve was in what her specialty was going to be.

“Ah, noted. No kids.” Eve grinned.

She was still thinking about Carolyn, Anna, and what happened in Liverpool, but Villanelle hadn’t given her a reason  _ not _ to trust her. Eve kept trying to push it out of her mind.

For all she knew, the ‘disagreement’ couldn’t have been about the cafeteria food. She felt bad for going to Carolyn behind Villanelle’s back, she knew it wasn’t a good idea. 

But, she did it anyway. Eve’s curiosity always got the better of her. It was one of the reasons she was so scared she was going to fuck it up with Villanelle and their relationship.

Villanelle, knowing they only had a stop or two left before the elevator doors opened, pulled Eve in for a kiss. She had to take these moments when she could. 

“I missed you,” Eve said on her lips.

“I missed you too.”

Then, the elevator doors opened. They both retracted themselves from each other but it was too late. Elena saw them.

“Tsk tsk ladies, you must be more careful,” Elena smirked while she shook her head, waiting for Eve and Villanelle to step out before getting in.

“Goodnight, Elena!” Eve half-yelled, scurrying away from the elevator as the doors closed, pulling Villanelle with her.

“So  _ she _ knows...” Villanelle said, following Eve down the hall.

“Yeah, I told her. She knew pretty much everything anyway. I’m sorry, I should’ve told you.” Eve said, turning around, holding Villanelle’s hand.

“It’s okay. I’m glad she knows. I have someone to talk about you with.” Villanelle winked.

“Well, she’s going to get both sides of it because I frequently talk about  _ you _ with her,” Eve said, pointing at her, covering up any nervousness related to Anna. 

She swallowed. She should tell Villanelle about her going to see Carolyn. It wasn’t right to keep it from her. But then again, it’s not like she’d ever find out. Also, Carolyn barely said anything to Eve, so there wasn’t much to tell.

“Eve! What do you say? Good things, I hope.” Villanelle asked, with fake-shock.

She didn’t have many opportunities to tease Villanelle, so Eve had to take them when they came.

“Mmm, well the last time we spoke, we talked about how you were in bed.” Eve turned to continue walking, unable to contain her grin.

“But… we haven’t…” Villanelle was looking down, very confused. Why were they talking about how she was in bed? She and Eve hadn’t had sex yet.

“Wait! Eve! What do you mean??” Villanelle looked up to realize Eve had continued walking, she chased after her.

She raced in front of her, stopping Eve from continuing through the Lounge door.

“Do you want to see how I am in bed?” Villanelle bit her lip and raised her eyebrows. Very genuine question, obviously.

“Yes, of course, I do. How’s tonight? At yours?” Eve grinned. Opportunities. 

Villanelle’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t expected such an honest and straight forward answer. Her shock only showed for a moment before her devilish smirk came back.

“Perfect. What do the American teenagers say nowadays? Netflix and relax?”

“Netflix and chill. Obviously, those American movies didn’t help you that much.” Eve rolled her eyes and walked into the Lounge.

“Hey! I learned a lot about Vampires and family dynamics.” Villanelle replied, following Eve into the room.

\------------

It was a short walk to Villanelle’s. But it felt much longer to Eve now. She had encouraged their ‘sex talk’ earlier, but they were almost at the blonde’s apartment. What was going to happen? Were they going to have sex as soon as they got there? Would they just watch a movie?

Eve was nervous. Sure, she’d had sex with women before. It wasn’t really about knowing  _ what _ to do. It was just that it’d be with Villanelle. Someone she really liked. It was nerve-wracking. 

They  _ finally _ got up to Villanelle’s apartment.

“Do you want to change?” Villanelle asked, taking off her coat and hanging up in the foyer.

“Oh uhh..” 

“Into something more comfortable. As lovely as those jeans look on you, I’m sure you’d prefer something looser.” Villanelle smirked as she unashamedly checked Eve out… again. 

“Yeah, that’d be great thanks.” Eve blushed.

“Ok, one sec.” Villanelle rushed to her bedroom.

Eve walked around and settled in on the couch. She turned on Netflix. I mean, that’s what they had agreed on, right?

Villanelle came back shortly holding a band t-shirt and baggy shorts. She had changed as well. In a similar fashion to last time, a silk sleeveless shirt and shorts.

“Want anything from the kitchen?” The blonde handed her the clothes and started to turn around.

“Wine, please,” Eve asked, standing up and walking to the bathroom. She was still nervous.

“You got it!” She heard from the kitchen as she closed the bathroom door.

She quickly changed. Villanelle had been right. Skinny jeans were flattering but not comfortable.

Now, yes, these shorts were baggy but does not mean they weren’t short. They were  _ very _ short. Eve started to imagine what they’d be like on Villanelle if they were  _ this  _ short on her. The blonde had much longer legs. Oh god, her legs. She noticed them when she walked up to her but...

Eve returned to the living room where Villanelle now was, sitting on the couch, with her feet up on the coffee table, next to two glasses of wine. She was skimming through movies on Netflix. 

Her legs… Eve shook her head. Movie first. Movie first.

“What do you want to watch?” Eve said, plopping down next to her, not bothered by their closeness.

It was funny to Eve, how over a week ago, she was in this exact spot, nervous about how close they were. Now, she sat with their legs touching, happy with the contact. It’s funny how life worked out like that. She couldn’t believe it, to be honest.

“How about… Twilight? I can show you what I’ve learned about Vampires and family dynamics. All of it is actually quite applicable to--” Villanelle starts to turn but the brunette’s lips on hers cut her off. 

Eve feels Villanelle sigh against her lips. She pushes her down her back, laying on top of the blonde. For a while, it’s just a press of soft lips on each other. Then Eve draws back, giving them both one moment to fill their lungs with air. 

And then Villanelle presses her lips to Eve’s again. The blonde’s hands tangle in her dark curls, her hands resting on the couch beside Villanelle’s head. The blonde’s hands moving from her hair to cupping the other woman’s jaw gliding backward, and nails dug at the base of Eve’s skull. 

They pull back once more but it’s quicker, and then their lips are meeting again. They’re kissing each other harder, pressing into each other harder, when Villanelle taking Eve’s bottom lip between her own. The blonde releases her lip and they stop. For a moment, you can only hear their breathing.

“Bedroom?” Villanelle murmurs against her lips.

And Eve doesn’t feel nervous anymore.

All she does is nod and stand up off the blonde. The blonde gets up just as quickly, grabbing Eve’s wrist toward her bedroom. They rush in and Villanelle is crashing back into her. 

Their tongues press together, Eve tasting a hint of wine on Villanelle’s lips. She’d forgot to even have some. The thought quickly evaporates as Eve drags another moan from Villanelle by tangling her fingers fully into blonde hair and tugging on it. But, the blonde is the one that’s pushing Eve onto the bed, straddling her.

Villanelle is commanding with her kisses, sliding her tongue against Eve’s and the brunette can’t even help the buck of her hips. It was involuntary. The moan that comes from Villanelle at the pressure is enough to make her pull back from the kiss and press her forehead to Eve’s. They both take deep breaths, lips barely millimeters apart. 

“Are you sure?” Villanelle asks, looking into Eve’s eyes. She wanted this to happen but she wanted Eve to want it as well. She wasn’t going to rush this. Luckily, Eve found asking for consent  _ very _ sexy.

“Yes. Please.” The brunette nods. She was a little surprised at herself, she didn’t think she was going to able to get any words out.

She barely draws a breath before Villanelle lays onto her fully, Eve’s frantic hands wrapping into her blonde hair and pulling her even closer. Eve feels soft hands slide down the cotton of her t-shirt and pull it over her to reveal her bra. 

Villanelle is gazing at Eve’s black lace bra, taking it in, before looking back to those beautiful brown eyes. She decides to take the noble route. Villanelle doesn’t say anything, as much as she wants to, about how Eve  _ definitely _ dressed up for this. Unless she just wears this every day, either way, the blonde couldn’t complain.

Eve hadn’t… exactly  _ expected _ something to happen. Okay, maybe she had  _ hoped  _ for it. And  _ maybe _ she did bring an extra bra that was  _ very _ sexy. Just in case. She liked to be prepared. Sue her.

She tries to think of something to say but then Villanelle is taking the bra off and her mouth is then on her nipple and a thigh is sliding between her legs. And her mind completely forgets how to make words. Again. It’s become a common pattern for Eve lately.

Villanelle gave her breasts adequate attention before she starts kissing down to travel further down Eve’s body. Then soft hands are pulling off her shorts, not that they were covering much anyway, tugging them down her legs and discarding them God knows where behind her.

Now Eve’s underwear is gone too. She is getting impatient and Eve needs Villanelle to hurry because she really can’t wait much longer.

“Fuck...” Eve pants, one hand wrapped in blonde hair and the other now grabbing those silk silver bed sheets she saw over a week ago.

Then there’s is a bite of teeth and tongue nipping on her skin and Eve’s hips buck, fingers gripping her hair tight. Villanelle hums in response, smirking. 

“Please, V. ” Eve breathes out, and then Villanelle is looking up at her and Eve feels herself get even wetter. 

“Please what?” 

“Oh, you’re gonna make me beg? Really?” 

The blonde is still staring up at her, head tilted. Eve can still see the smirk in her eyes. It’s annoying but so God damn charming. Fuck it. Fine.

“Villanelle, please, I need you.”

Lips kiss down on her inner thighs and it feels so good that Eve can feel the pressure building. Hurry up….

She slowly kisses Eve’s skin, now only inches from where Eve  _ needs _ her. Now. She gives in.

“V, please, I need you to put your mouth on me now. Okay? I swear to God can you please because I need-” Eve starts. Luckily, she’s cut off.

Villanelle does as she’s told, instantly stopping whatever Eve was going to say.

She’s gasping, feeling nothing but the tongue through her folds, circling her clit, and slipping inside. There are nails digging into her thighs but she doesn’t even care.

“Fuck, please don’t stop baby.” Eve breathes, one hand still in the silk sheets while the other continues to hold to on blonde hair.

Villanelle froze for maybe half a second but quickly continues, she doesn’t think Eve noticed, anyway. ‘Baby’ was new. The blonde weirdly liked it. 

“I’m coming, I’m-” Eve gasps.

Her hips push up into Villanelle’s mouth when she comes. 

“Now come up here,” Eve whispered a few moments later, realizing the irony of what she said.

She didn’t think she was able to be aroused again so quickly, but Villanelle climbing up to her, ever so slowly, had  _ that _ kind of effect on her. The blonde straddles her and leans down to kiss Eve. 

“Wait a second, you’re still wearing clothes..” She mumbles into Villanelle’s mouth as she realizes Villanelle still had on  _ both _ her shirt and shorts. That just wouldn’t do. 

“Yes, nice observation, Eve.” Villanelle murmurs, grinning.

Eve sits up instead of responding to her, pulling Villanelle’s t-shirt up and over her, laughing a little at the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra underneath. She’d expected something to happen too. Eve wasn’t the only one.

The brunette wanted to take control, so to speak. So, she tried something. She grabbed Villanelle’s waist, wrapped her leg over her, and they switched places. Eve was now on top of Villanelle.

“Now, I’m going to take your shorts off.” 

Eve recreates what Villanelle did earlier by removing the blonde’s silk shorts and underwear, throwing them behind her, before climbing back onto her. Villanelle was very turned on at Eve being commanding. Like,  _ very  _ turned on.

She runs her fingertips across the soft skin of Villanelle’s breasts smirking at the moan she got from the blonde. Villanelle forcefully pulls Eve closer to her and quickly gives out a moan when the brunette’s fingers find her clit. 

“Touch me, Eve, please.” Villanelle’s accent is low, her eyes dark. Oh my god, her accent. 

Eve wanted to say something about how  _ she  _ was begging now. But, she figured it wasn’t the best time. She throws her head back on the bed when Eve slides a finger into her. And then the brunette slides in another, enticing an even louder moan.

Her hands found their place on Eve’s shoulders, digging in. Eve doesn’t even feel her nails at this point. Villanelle is moaning, whimpering. She’s so close. And Eve knows. She leaves a bite on the blonde’s breast and then raises her head, meeting those hazel eyes. She’d never get sick of looking into them.

Villanelle moans, continuing to buck her hips before looking at Eve.

“Eve...” Villanelle pleads.

Eve thinks the sound of her name coming from Villanelle’s lips is more beautiful every time she says it. She kisses her and wraps her hand in (slightly sweaty) blonde hair. And Villanelle is coming. Eve can feel it.

“Oh.. my god.” Villanelle starts to slow.

\----------

Maybe a bit TMI, but it was the best sex in Eve’s life. She doesn’t kiss and tell, but they did  _ not _ end up watching any movies that night. Or that weekend.

She didn’t plan on it, but she may have  _ accidentally  _ slept over Friday night. They were both so tired from the night’s  _ activities _ , that they both fell asleep on Villanelle’s bed. 

However, Eve purposely slept over Saturday  _ and  _ Sunday night. The weekend was kind of a blur. Well, not really. It was filled with sex, breakfast, sex, showers, and sex.

They did go  _ out _ to breakfast…. once.

When they woke up on Monday morning, they were entangled with one another, arms, legs over the others. It felt… natural, normal. How life should be. Villanelle, obviously, woke up first with dark curls pushed in her face. She just smiled. This is how she wanted it to be, every day.

She hummed into Eve’s hair and squeezed the other woman, gently trying to wake her up.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

Eve couldn’t help but grin. That’s what she had called her last time, except, she was on the couch then. Oh, how times had changed.

“Morning.” Eve started to stretch, rolling half on top of Villanelle, meeting her eyes.

Villanelle pushed strands of hair out of her face, stroking the woman’s cheek with her thumb. Eve couldn’t help but lean into the touch.

Eve then noticed the necklace. It was the one she had gotten for her at the fair. Villanelle never took it off. Except to shower. It was plastic and fake-gold, after all. She ran her fingers over the heart pendant.

This felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing smut, so be kind, please? Thx
> 
> I did change the final number of chapters to 28 (not sure on the exact number but it'll be around there).
> 
> Also note: will probably be changing to weekly chapters (every Sunday), unless anyone wants a different schedule, I don't really mind. Just let me know :)
> 
> And remember, separate actors from characters. Love you all, hope everyone is doing well!
> 
> Kira x


	16. Oh, Carolyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle finds out Eve went behind her back to Carolyn & Eve finds out who Anna really is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, a plot!! let the angst begin :)  
> love you all

**Chapter 16**

They both got ready for work, much to Eve’s dismay. Again, she was not a morning person.

However, they did shower together --to save water-- which did make her morning  _ a bit  _ better. And Villanelle made them breakfast, making Eve’s coffee a double. She  _ was _ getting to know the brunette better each day.

When Eve went back to the bathroom to comb her hair, she saw something on Villanelle’s vanity. A necklace.  _ The  _ necklace. Not the one Eve got her, but the one Anna had. The one she threw in the tea. Eve hadn’t seen her pick it up. Why did she pick it up?

“What’s taking so long? We gotta go… Eve?” Villanelle half-yelled, coming up behind her. When she saw the necklace, the brunette now holding it, she froze.

“I thought you got rid of this...” Eve murmured, turning the necklace over in her hand.

She wasn’t going to tell Villanelle what to do with her belongings but the fact that she kept this.. after going on about them starting fresh as a couple and forgetting about the past…

Eve couldn’t help but think that Villanelle  _ didn’t _ want to give up on the past.

The blonde really tried to leave the necklace in the teacup. But when Eve turned her back, she grabbed it. It felt wrong to leave it in a cold tea at some random cafe. She wanted to move on, but she needed to do it properly. She still meant everything she had said to Eve. Every word.

“I wanted to get rid of it the right way. Not by dumping it in a tea.” She stated, trying to take the necklace from the other woman, but the brunette snapped her hand away. 

“I thought you wanted to move on from this. Move on.. with me.” Eve shook the necklace in her hand for effect.

She didn’t know why she was getting upset over a necklace, but she was. She just wished Villanelle had told her she had taken it back. Honestly, right? But then again, Eve wasn’t being completely honest either.

“Eve, I do! But that necklace… what it reminds me of… it- it’s really important to me. But I want to move on. I just need time to figure out how to.. properly. Okay?” Villanelle took a step closer to Eve, putting her hands around her waist.

“Don’t be mad at me, please,” The blonde whispered, putting her forehead against the shorter woman’s.

Eve saw her girlfriend was wearing the necklace that  _ she  _ had gotten her. It was a cheap piece of plastic but she was wearing it anyway. Because she cared about her. Villanelle  _ did _ want to move on. Why was she harassing her about a necklace she wasn’t wearing? Eve didn’t know anymore.

“I’m not. I- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten upset over it.” Eve sighed. She felt a  _ little _ silly. 

“It’s okay. I should’ve told you I kept it.” Villanelle carefully took the necklace from her girlfriend’s hand put it back on the vanity.

“Okay, seriously, time to go. I’m on Trauma for the week and we’re going to be late.” She said nonchalantly, pecking the brunette’s lips before turning around.

“Wait, you’re what?” Eve stood there, shocked. It was great news to have the blonde with her, but she had no idea.

“Oh yeah. I got an email from Carolyn over the weekend. She said she wanted us to work together. I must’ve forgotten to tell you because of all the mind-blowing sex we were having.” Villanelle winked, turning back. 

“That’s… great.” She murmured, unsure. 

Obviously, having her girlfriend with her all week _would_ be amazing, but Eve couldn’t help but think about _why_ Carolyn wanted them to work together. Was it because she asked her about Villanelle? Was it about Anna? About what happened at Broadgreen? She regretting asking Carolyn at all. It was a stupid decision.

Speaking of Anna, Carolyn never gave Eve an answer on what had actually happened. She wanted to ask the blonde about it again but she knew it was a bad idea. They had just finished talking about  _ the  _ necklace, so that last thing Villanelle would want is to continue talking about the past. 

So, Eve decided she would just have to research on her own. 

“You don’t seem excited. I thought you’d be happy.” The blonde looked disappointed. 

She was going to be with her  _ all  _ week. She’d kept the necklace, and yes, she should’ve mentioned it to Eve. She did need to move on. She didn’t want to think about Anna anymore. She didn’t even want to talk about her.

“No, no. I am, I’m very happy.” Eve replied, as confident as she could, kissing her quickly before heading toward the door. 

Eve really wanted to investigate now.

\-----------

After working in the Trauma center for a few hours, Eve asked Villanelle to go grab them some lunch so they could eat in the Lounge together. To the blonde, their morning had been one of the best she’d had in a while. 

Eve, Elena, and her had patient after patient, luckily none of them needed immediate surgery. Meanwhile, Villanelle realized how much she loved seeing Eve at work. Her face lit up whenever she was talking to a patient or given a new X-ray. It made Villanelle like her more (which she didn’t think was possible). The brunette loved helping people and would do anything for them. The blonde saw this in her non-work life too. 

Before they started dating, she watched Eve. Not in a creepy way (but kinda in a creepy way). Let’s say she  _ observed _ her.

Regardless, she found out that Eve  _ loved  _ her friends. A lot. Her and Elena were inseparable, but this she already knew. Elena had also mentioned that Eve was very close to Bill, who she knew was the General Surgery consultant. 

Eve had helped Elena through her breakups with her ex-boyfriends (Villanelle found out that there were  _ many _ ex-boyfriends), helped her when she moved to London, and even helped her find an apartment near the hospital. Her girlfriend did everything she could for the people that she cared about. Her heart was so big. And Villanelle loved this about her.

On her way to the cafeteria she was so caught up in her happiness that she didn’t even notice Carolyn.

“Villanelle, hi,” Carolyn said, now standing in front of her.

“Oh hi Carolyn, how are you?” The blonde looked up, trying to make pleasant conversation. 

She liked Carolyn and she respected her quite a bit. She was kind of a badass. However, she knew about what happened at Broadgreen. So, while Villanelle respected her, she still kept her at a distance. It wasn’t that hard, the blonde barely saw her anyway.

“I’m good. I did actually want to talk to you.” Carolyn turned and continued walking, Villanelle instinctively followed next to her.

“Oh okay...” 

“Well, I guess I just wanted to check-in. See how you were doing. Because of… everything that happened in Liverpool, I wanted to see how you’re fitting in here.” 

“Oh yeah. I’m fitting in great. Everyone’s very nice.” She tried to smile but she really wanted this conversation to be over.

“Did you tell Eve about what happened at Broadgreen? When she asked about it, I told her to just talk to you. I didn’t feel it was any of my business.” Carolyn asked, continuing their walk down the hall. They had passed the cafeteria doors so Villanelle would have to go back now.

“Wait, what do you mean Eve asked you? You told her about what happened?” The blonde stopped in the middle of the hall.

Eve had gone behind her back and asked Carolyn about Anna? How could she do that? It was a…. for lack of a better word, a betrayal. 

Not again.

“Oh, I guess she didn’t tell you. Well, she just asked me about what happened in Liverpool. That was all, really. I told her to simply ask you about it because, again, it’s not any of my business. Anyway, have a good day, Villanelle.” Carolyn looked at her and continued walking, leaving the registrar standing alone in the middle of the corridor.

She didn’t think this was going to happen again. She’d trusted Eve not to do something like this. She thought she had told her enough. She kept the necklace but it was just a necklace and she said she was going to get rid of it, eventually. Eve said she was sorry for getting mad. Conversation over. There was nothing more to be said. Yet, Eve went and asked Carolyn about it. Carolyn, their fucking boss. It wasn’t even  _ her  _ business. 

Eve didn’t have the right. Villanelle was furious. She just wanted to be trusted, for once. No one had ever believed in her. She thought Eve would. But she was betrayed, once again.

\-------------

She doesn’t even remember waiting in line and getting the food but ultimately she ends up at the Lounge’s door with two salads. She walks in, seeing Eve at the table and Elena, presumably taking a nap, on the couch. 

The brunette had been on her laptop while Villanelle was gone. More specifically, she had been on Broadgreen Hospital’s website. She searched ‘Anna’ in the staff search bar and guess who popped out? Anna Leonova. 

She needed to know more. And to be honest, she had forgotten about looking Anna up all weekend. She had planned on it but she’d been doing… other things. 

It wasn’t a huge hospital, so, there weren’t too many Annas. However, what was more shocking than finding Anna so quickly, was finding out her job. She was the General Surgery Consultant. Eve also found out, thanks to Elena’s computer skills, that her husband, Max, was also at Broadgreen and worked as the Neuro Surgery consultant. 

“Shit babe,” Was all Elena said.

Villanelle is mad at Eve. She’s decided that. But, she’s also sad. Sad that Eve didn’t trust her enough to talk to her. That she felt she needed to go somewhere else to learn more about her. Still, she’s very mad and she didn’t like being sad. 

So, she acted mad.

She walked up to the table and threw down Eve’s salad in front of the woman, who was looking up at her in confusion.

“I can’t stay for lunch.” Was all Villanelle said before she turned on her heel and stormed out.

A bit dramatic, yes. But that was Villanelle.

“What was that?” Eve said, looking at the door.

“No idea. But maybe don’t go after her. Looks like the girl needs to cool off.” Elena said, taking her head off the couch before putting it back down on the pillow again.

Eve was smart. After about 5 minutes, she realized what must’ve happened. This was not good. Her curiosity got the better of her and she fucked up this relationship. Already. 

But she  _ also  _ had the right to be mad. Villanelle, a registrar, who was dating Eve, a consultant, refused to mention that she slept with a  _ married consultant  _ at her old hospital. And that it caused her to be sent to a new hospital. It felt like good information to share with Eve, especially since she was so nervous about this relationship. And she was nervous because of. This. Very. Reason.

“I’m mad at her,” Eve announced, not looking at Elena.

“I know. She should’ve told you.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t! She slept with a consultant and was kicked out of the hospital because of it! I’m sure Anna almost lost her job and she didn’t only because Villanelle was sent away... I can’t believe this.” She put her head in hands. 

“Eve… you know this was probably also really hard on her, right? I’m not saying it wasn’t easy on this Anna chick but being sent to a new city, with no friends or family, must not have been easy for her.” Elena said, coming to sit next to Eve.

Eve sighed, she was right. Villanelle had said how much Anna hurt her. Oh my god, and her parents. She had said how quickly she was ready to move to get away from them. Going all the way from Russia to Edinburgh and then to Liverpool. And now London. That couldn’t have been easy.

Villanelle was alone. And now Eve had betrayed her trust, something she knew Anna had done. She didn’t know how, but she knew it had hurt Villanelle so deeply that she couldn’t even talk about it. 

She also knew that the blonde hadn’t said Anna was a consultant because Villanelle assumed she would freak out. And yes, Eve was freaking out. Villanelle had been right to think that would happen. 

However, she could see the blonde struggled with her emotions. When Eve said things about her emotions or something personal, she could see it in Villanelle’s face that she didn’t always know what to say or how to react. She tried her best. And, most of the time, whatever she did or said was good enough for Eve. She liked Villanelle for her. Good, bad, ugly, all of it.

Eve had studied psychology in undergrad and had a whole semester focused on children and their attachment styles. She knew that Villanelle’s occasional emotional ineptitude stemmed from her childhood or lack thereof. Eve talking about her to Carolyn and not to her directly just reinforced Villanelle’s idea that she was alone. That no one trusted her enough to stick with her. Her parents hadn’t, Anna hadn’t and now… Eve hadn’t.

“Shit, I fucked up.”

\----------

As Eve was finishing her salad, or finishing picking at it (she had lost her appetite), she and Elena were called to the Trauma Center. There was an emergency and they needed the entire Trauma team down there ASAP.

“Should I…?” Elena started, holding her phone, as she and Eve got into the elevator.

“Yes, call her,” She grumbled.

To their surprise, Villanelle was already down there, waiting for the ambulance. Eve and Elena joined her, Elena awkwardly in the middle of them. 

“Did they call the front desk? Tell us how long they’ll be?” The brunette asked, directing her question at the blonde, but looking out to the ambulance’s entrance.

“Yes.” Villanelle snapped, also looking at the ambulance’s entrance. Elena felt very awkward. She was figuratively and literally in the middle of their relationship.

Eve was now upset that Villanelle was being cold. She knew  _ why _ she was, but still, she could at least act normal for the sake of the job. Eve also wasn’t a fan of playing  _ these  _ kinds of games. The ones where you dance around the subject, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was pointless and futile. It never ended well.

“And how long did they say?” She eventually gave in.

Luckily, the conversation didn’t have to continue because just as they heard the ambulance’s alarm, it pulled into the driveway and in front of the three of them.

The back yellow door opened and two paramedics carrying a stretcher stepped out.

“We have a 35-year-old male, injuries to the left arm and right leg due to a construction incident.” One paramedic said as they pushed the stretcher into the Trauma center.

“Okay, we need CT scans of both his left arm and right leg ASAP,” Eve said, inspecting the man’s left arm, then looking up at Elena.

They all rushed to the CT room 1 and scanned the man as quickly as possible. Eve instantly saw that both his arm and leg were displaced fractures, meaning both parts needed surgery to be realigned before putting them in a cast.

“I’ll get OR 3 prepped.” Elena already knew and was out the door before Eve could say anything. This left her and Villanelle standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, surrounded by scans of bones.

“Well, let’s go scrub in I guess,” The brunette mumbled, attempting to walk through the door.

Villanelle said nothing, she just stepped aside to let her by.

However, as Eve walked through the doorframe, she turned, trapping Villanelle inside.

“Can we talk? After the surgery?” She asked, staring up into those beautiful hazel eyes, but they weren’t as bright anymore. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to Carolyn first?” Villanelle snapped, clenching her jaw.

“V…” The brunette whispered as she started to put her hand on the blonde’s forearm.

She pushed past Eve, heading down the hall toward the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes these next few chapters are gonna be pretty rough, sorry loves!  
> anyway, thanks for the continued support on this story, it means the world.  
> i'm thinking of maybe going to twice a week updates? im hesitant only because i'm going to be v sad when this story is over lol.  
> let me know, love you all, stay safe!
> 
> kira x


	17. Parent-Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Villanelle talk after the surgery...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys asked for two chapters a week, so i shall deliver two chapters a week

**Chapter 17**

Elena prepped the man for surgery while Eve and Villanelle started to scrub in.

Both were silent. 

Eve kept looking up at Villanelle, trying to incite some response from her. Anything. Yelling, screaming, kissing, punching. She just wanted something. But Villanelle had gone cold. She was giving nothing away.

Villanelle often did this when her emotions were too intense to feel. In all honesty, usually in these situations, she would lash out by punching or fucking someone. However, she couldn’t do either of those things now. So, she stayed silent, pushing her feelings far down. Pushing them _so_ far down she wouldn’t feel them anymore. 

“V… I’m sorry.” The brunette started but stopped when the blonde turned to her, finally meeting her eyes.

Villanelle wanted to say something. Ask Eve why she talked to Carolyn, why she couldn’t trust her…. but no words could come out of her mouth. She looked at the brunette. And that’s when she felt it. She felt love. For the first time. But more than that, she felt heartbroken. For the second time. She wanted to forgive Eve, forget it ever happened, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t just forgive and forget. 

Before Eve could say anything else, she turned around and walked into the OR.

They started the surgery in silence. Elena next to Villanelle, both realigning the patient’s arm, with Eve realigning his leg.

It felt reminiscent of James’s surgery. But with roles reversed. Instead of Villanelle, it was now Eve that wanted to start a conversation, with the other pulling away. 

As the surgery dragged on, the brunette started to care less and less about her surroundings. About the other staff, the anesthesiologist, even Elena… she was only focusing on the blonde.

She looked up at her once. She saw her focusing on the surgery, eyes on the patient, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, her arms tensed in determination. That’s when Eve knew. She felt the love too. That admiration and care for another person. So much so that it completely consumes you. But, she had ruined it before it even started.

“Villanelle, I’m sorry,” The brunette announced again, looking at her hands while she worked on the patient’s leg, “I shouldn’t have gone to Carolyn.”

She couldn’t look at the blonde, as much as she wanted to, because she had a job to do and she knew if she did look up, she wouldn’t be able to focus on this guy’s leg.

Villanelle said nothing. She clenched her jaw, restraining her mouth from saying anything she’d regret. She continued to help Elena with the surgery.

Eve took this as an opportunity to continue. She didn’t know why she had started but the blonde wasn’t stopping her so...

“I betrayed your trust. It was wrong of me to not come to you. I know that now. I knew that then I just… I just wanted to make sure that-”

“Eve, stop.” Villanelle didn’t look up either, both of them understanding the importance of their job.

The blonde knew if Eve kept talking, she’d say something she probably shouldn’t in front of other surgical staff. Something about their relationship. As much as Villanelle wanted it _not_ to be kept a secret, she knew the brunette wanted that. For now. So she cut Eve off. 

“I just want you to know that I’m sorry,” The consultant whispered, giving up on trying to start a conversation during surgery. It wasn’t the best idea, she realized.

The surgery started and ended in silence. It was long, but three surgeons were better than one.

Elena felt… very uncomfortable. As much as she loved Eve and was starting to really like Villanelle, being in the middle of this was a bit overwhelming. So, she got out of there as fast as she could.

“You got this babe,” She whispered to Eve on her way out, leaving the consultant and registrar standing alone in the scrub-room, again.

“Can we please talk? I need to expl-” The brunette started, turning to face the blonde.

“Why would go to Carolyn instead of me and ask about what happened? I can’t believe you wouldn’t trust me to not tell you something. If you needed to know, I would tell you, so you could have just asked-”

“So when were you going to tell me Anna was a consultant? Or that she was married? Hmm? She almost lost her job and _you_ had to move, do you see how reckless and stupid that was?” Eve almost screamed her last sentence. 

She didn’t want to yell at the blonde, but she was upset. Upset at Villanelle, upset at herself, upset at everything. She didn’t want the blonde to lose her career over her, the way she almost had for Anna.

Villanelle stopped. Eve had researched Anna. 

“I thought I loved her Eve! Don’t you think you’d do anything for love? I mean you were married once, did you not want to do anything for the _man_ you loved?”

She knew it was wrong as soon as it came out of her mouth. Especially, knowing how Niko had treated Eve during their marriage. She had no excuse. Just her anger. Anger made you do and say stupid things.

“Don’t you dare bring up Niko.” The brunette pointed at her, her eyes starting to water now.

Villanelle looked down. It was a low move, she knew that.

“You’re so young,” Eve sighed, “I can’t believe you’d sacrifice your career for what? A married woman? How could you be so impulsive? You’re crazy if you-” 

“Don’t call me crazy, Eve.” The blonde looked up, her eyes now void of emotion. 

“V... I just want to understand… I’m trying to..” Eve tried to each her hand out to Villanelle’s but the blonde snapped her’s away.

“Everyone leaves me, Eve. I don’t think _one_ person has actually stayed in my life. I thought Anna would, but why would she? You’re right, I’m reckless, impulsive, and stupid! I’m crazy to think I could ever have someone like her or you. I can’t handle a relationship, I don’t even know what I was thinking! Well..,” she laughs lightly while stepping back from the brunette, “I guess that was the problem.” 

“What- what does even that mean?” Eve’s voice broke.

She didn’t want to lose the blonde because of her mistake. She needed her. She had made her feel more alive in 3 weeks than she’d felt in 10 years. This past weekend they had spent together, tangled in each other’s arms, learning more about each other, had been the best weekend of her life.

Villanelle walked toward the door.

“Please don’t go, V, we can-”

“I’m sorry, Eve. I thought I could do it, but,” She looked down, holding the door handle, “I can’t .. do this anymore. I just can’t. I’m sorry, truly.” Villanelle had tears in her eyes. She hadn’t expected to, but she did. 

She felt so much for Eve and if she couldn’t trust her… Villanelle couldn’t handle the heartbreak. She just wanted to end it now, when it was survivable. Because if she continued this relationship and her heart was broken, later on, she knew she wouldn’t make it.

And with that, the blonde was out the door, leaving Eve in scrub-room alone, tears starting to fall down her face. 

\------------

It was the worst week of Eve’s entire life. Well, maybe not _the worst_. Top three, for sure.

On Monday morning, she thought this would be the best week ever. Instead of not being able to see her girlfriend _because_ of work, she’d be working _with_ her girlfriend. Except, now, she wasn’t her girlfriend. She was still working with her, but she wasn’t her girlfriend. 

She’d stayed at Elena’s the night they… well, the night they broke up. She cried. A lot. More than she cried when she and Niko got divorced. Because, this time, it was her fault. She couldn’t blame Villanelle for her parents or the way they treated her and why that shaped Villanelle to who she was today. That wasn’t fair. Eve had gone too far and she knew it. Her curiosity took her too far. 

Eve had betrayed Villanelle’s trust, something she didn’t give out to anyone. She knew this. Eve knew her parents hadn’t shown her love, she knew Anna was using her, she knew all of this. And she still wasn’t honest with her.

Then again, she was also mad at Villanelle. She hadn’t told her that Anna was a consultant, something that was _very_ relevant to their relationship. They both had kept secrets from each other. But, to Eve, that wasn’t the worst part. 

Yes, she was upset she didn’t find out about Anna’s job _from_ Villanelle but what was worse, what hurt her more, was that the blonde gave up. She didn’t attempt to fight for them. She had, figuratively and literally, walked out on them. A relationship they both knew was going somewhere. But, Villanelle had given up.

Don’t get me wrong, the blonde was having just as shit of a time. She knew it would take time to move on from Eve. But, being around the woman all day was definitely slowing the process.

She regretted leaving Eve. She did. But, she also knew that she couldn’t have stayed. It was an impossible situation, so Villanelle made what she thought was the easier choice. It was selfish, but that’s all she knew. She had tried to be better, to let someone in, but it went to shit, again. She thought it would have turned out differently with Eve, but it hadn’t. So, to her, the only way to stop it from becoming worse was to end it.

She knew she should’ve told Eve that Anna was a consultant and that she was married. She wished she had in that cafe. But, she was terrified. Eve could so easily have walked away and never spoken to her again. She didn’t want that. She wanted Eve to get to know her, not have this huge dark cloud hovering above them. However, that had backfired on her pretty bad.

So, she tried to go on as if nothing had happened. As if she never met Eve. That was obviously quite hard as she was still on Trauma until next Monday. 

Long story short, it was a very _long_ week for both of them. Fortunately, they didn’t have many surgeries together, so they weren’t forced into a room together for hours on end. If there was a surgery, Eve would usually send Villanelle and Elena to do it together.

She knew Elena and Villanelle were very capable and could handle a surgery without her. Eve usually wouldn’t do this. As much as she trusted Elena and her skills, she liked being there, even if it was just to supervise. But, with Villanelle in the room, she knew she wouldn’t be doing anything beneficial.

When Friday _finally_ rolled around, both women were exhausted. More exhausted than they usually would be after a week of work. They’d both been avoiding each other, as much as possible. Eve would ask Elena to take Villanelle to meet a patient, even though it was unnecessary for both of them to be there. Or Villanelle would ask Elena to replace her if she had to see a patient with Eve. Or Eve would ask Elena to take Villanelle and let her scrub in on a surgery. Or Villanelle would ask Elena to sit with her for lunch, so it wouldn’t be just her and Eve in the Lounge. Well, the blonde would more declare this, rather than ask. 

Either way, Elena. Was. Furious. 

She was literally in the middle of _this._ And it was exhausting her, especially since she actually had a lot of work to do. She knew most of what happened, getting snippets from both Villanelle and Eve. 

What she gathered was that both of them were mad at themselves and mad at each other. What she _inferred_ was that both still felt the same about each other. They wanted to be together but were too scared of the potential consequences.

Elena could see it. Eve had been happier than ever when they were together. She’d even laughed at one of Elena’s sex jokes. Eve never laughed at her sex jokes.

When they talked at brunch, she could feel how scared Eve was about people finding out, possibly jeopardizing their careers. She could also feel how much she liked the blonde. How happy she made her. 

Eve deserved to happy. After Niko, Elena pushed her to find someone new. You know, ‘get over someone by getting under someone’. The brunette did not want to do this, she was fine being single. Eventually, Elena gave up trying. But then, as luck would have it, Villanelle storms in, flipping Eve’s world upside down. 

Elena had a plan. Eve definitely wouldn’t approve, but it was more about the end result. And if she was successful, the consultant wouldn’t really care how they got there.

She was going to get Eve and Villanelle back together. 

\-----------

As Friday was finishing, all Eve wanted to do was go home, drink wine, take a bath, and sleep all weekend. 

She was laying her head on the main desk, trying to get a minute of sleep, when Elena came over.

“Want to go out and get drinks? Maybe get so drunk you’ll forget this week ever happened?” She nudged the consultant with her elbow.

“Ugh, no that sounds awful.” 

“Come on, Eve! You need to get back out there, or at least just get really drunk. You know that it’ll make you feel a bit better.” 

Elena never gave up when she wanted something. It was a trait Eve admired of surgeon-Elena, not friend-Elena.

“Fine. One drink. That’s it.” 

\----------

Villanelle had just changed out of her scrubs. She had no idea what she was going to do tonight. Usually, she’d spend her weekends picking up women and bringing them back to her apartment. However, she’d tried that once this week, and she couldn’t even start speaking to another woman without thinking about Eve. It was actually quite annoying since she wanted to move on. Maybe she’d just spend this weekend at home.

Elena told Eve to change and meet her outside in a few minutes so they could walk to Bear’s together. She was running down the hall until she saw who she was looking for. 

Kenny and Hugo.

“Guys, I need your help.”

Her plan was basically to parent-trap Eve and Villanelle. No, it wasn’t her best idea. But she had watched the movie that past weekend, and it worked for them, didn’t it?

She explained, briefly, what had happened to Hugo and Kenny. 

In short: Eve and Villanelle had been together for the past few weeks, got into an argument because Eve asked Carolyn about Villanelle’s past, Eve found out Villanelle’s ‘ex’ was a consultant and that’s why she had to leave Liverpool. They had a fight about it and broke up.

Elena was quite smart. She knew what to say to the boys to get them to help out. She also knew to not give details because she was a little scared of Villanelle. And Eve. They were both very scary.

So, she shared only what she _needed_ to. 

“-So, I need you two to find V and get her to come out to Bear’s in a little bit. And I’m going to get Eve a little drunk so she’s more… receptive to the situation. But it all has to seem like a big coincidence, got it?”

“That’s why she didn’t flirt with me...” Hugo mumbled, shaking his head in amusement.

Kenny was in shock. He had seen them in the on-call room after James’s surgery.

“Wait...when we saw them in the on-call room, were they…?” Kenny trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

“Oh my god guys, we don’t have time for this! Go find her, now!” Elena basically pushed them in the direction of the Lounge. She then changed out of her scrubs and met Eve outside.

Hopefully, this worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wednesdays and sundays will probably be when i update, if you guys are wondering
> 
> love you all, stay safe <3
> 
> kira x


	18. Shots! Shots! Shots!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle gets drunk, Eve ends up sleeping over, and Niko shows up at the hospital.

**Chapter 18**

Elena bought Eve a tequila shot. Then another. Then another. 

They’d only been at the bar for about 20 minutes.

Eve was drunk and, for a moment, she forgot about Villanelle. She forgot about the crying, the hurt, the love. But only for a moment. Because she was laughing at one of Elena’s jokes when she saw Villanelle (with Hugo and Kenny) walked in.

Shit. 

“Elena, what are they doing here?” Eve gritted through her teeth, leaning closer to the other woman at the bar. She didn’t care about Hugo or Kenny, but she used ‘they’, anyway.

“It’s a public bar, Eve. I’d assume they’re here to drink.” She turned to look at the other registrars, then back to Eve, trying to hide her smile.

“Oh god, I’m too drunk for this.” She put her head in her hands, groaning, facing back to the bar.

It took a lot for Kenny and Hugo to convince Villanelle to go out with them. She thought Kenny was boring and found Hugo way too flirty. Also, she’d rather go home and drink. 

Sure, she wasn’t a huge fan of alcohol, but sometimes she had to indulge. Enough alcohol made her feel numb. And that was just what she needed right now. 

However, when Hugo offered to pay, she’d thought she’d humor him. She could pay for her own drinks, but, why not save a few bucks? It couldn’t hurt. 

Except, it could. 

The blonde saw Eve’s curls sitting at the bar as soon as she walked in. She was walking between the boys but as soon as she saw her, Villanelle turned to Kenny and pushed him against the closest wall with her forearm. 

“You knew she was here, didn’t you?” She snarled. The blonde could tell the boy knew more than he was letting on.

“Oh uh no, no I didn’t... I- I swear.” Kenny stammered. Villanelle could be very scary when she wanted to be.

“You’re both buying me drinks tonight.” She stepped back from him, turning toward Hugo, then headed to the side of the bar that Eve was  _ not  _ on.

“Tequila. Now.” Villanelle snapped at the bartender, who quickly ran to get the woman’s drinks.

Eve couldn’t help but look up at the blonde as she threw down shot after shot after shot. Oh god. That wasn’t good. The brunette had stopped drinking alcohol as soon as she saw her and was now nursing a cup of water. Even though just the sight of the blonde was sobering enough.

Villanelle had never gotten actually drunk before. She’d been tipsy, but she’d never gotten  _ drunk. _

So, when she ran to the bathroom and starting vomiting into one of the toilets, she’d never done that before. She was very embarrassed. But she was even more embarrassed when _Eve,_ of all people, came up next to her and pulled her hair back as she continued to vomit. Absolutely mortifying. 

“It’s okay, let it out,” Eve whispered, rubbing small circles on the blonde’s back.

When she saw Villanelle run to the bathroom, she didn’t even need Elena to tell her to go after her. 

Despite the rather  _ awkward  _ memory that came when thinking about  _ that _ bathroom, she knew she needed to help the blonde. Eve was aware that she wasn’t a drinker, so when she saw the registrar takedown shot glass after shot glass, she knew what the repercussions would be. 

“Eve, please go.” Villanelle murmured, hands wrapped around the toilet seat. 

“No, I’m not going anywhere.”

The brunette knew she didn’t want her there. She didn’t even know why  _ she _ was there. Well, she kind of did. But she wasn’t going to say it now.

When the blonde had finished, Eve helped her up and to the sink.

“I’m going to take you home, okay? You need to sleep it off.” Eve said, looking at Villanelle through the mirror, feeling weirdly sober.

“Eve, you don’t have to do that. I feel fine-” Just as the blonde finished she ran back to the toilet. 

“Villanelle, I’m getting you home and I’m not taking no for answer. Now, come on. I’ve already called us an Uber.” She stated, putting her phone back into her pocket and walking over to the registrar.

Villanelle didn’t have the energy to argue. 

That’s what she said when Eve grabbed her purse and put her in the Uber. 

That’s what she said when Eve climbed in next to her and started rubbing her back. 

That’s what she said when Eve helped her up to her apartment and got her a change of clothes. 

That’s what she said when Eve pulled the blanket over her.

And… that’s what she said when she asked Eve to stay the night.

“Can you stay? Please?” She whispered, barely audibly, with the blanket pulled up to her chin.

“V… I don’t know..” 

Obviously, Eve  _ wanted _ to stay the night. Not only did she knew that the hangover would be awful for the blonde, but she wanted to be there for her. It was just... weird. 

They weren’t together. Not only were they technically broken up, but they were still mad at each other. Weren’t they? But, Eve knew the blonde needed her. Villanelle wouldn’t say it, but Eve knew.

“Please, Eve.” It was those damn hazel eyes.

“Okay, I’ll bring you a bucket and a glass of water. Just in case. Then I’ll be on the couch if you need me.” The smile she got, no matter how much of it was covered by the blanket, was worth it.

Eve walked to the kitchen, found a small bucket, got a glass, filled it with water, and went back to Villanelle’s bedroom. When she came back, she heard soft snores coming from the blonde. How did she fall asleep  _ that _ quickly?

She set the glass of water and the bucket on the nightstand next to her. She didn’t know why she did this next, but she leaned in and kissed Villanelle’s forehead. 

As much as she wanted to, the blonde couldn’t give her a reaction. She was ‘asleep’. However, when she heard Eve’s footsteps walking away, she couldn’t help but smile as she dozed off.

\-----------

The brunette barely slept. She could only think about the woman in the other room. What did this mean? Did Villanelle forgive her? Did she forgive Villanelle? Eve tried not to read too much into it. But, then she remembered she was literally on Villanelle’s couch. It was hard  _ not _ to think about it.

When it was finally an acceptable hour to wake up, she headed to the kitchen, looking for something to make. Eve wasn’t a great cook, but, she’d had her fair share of hangovers, so she knew what Villanelle needed. Eve was also surprised at her  _ lack  _ of hangover. She felt tired, truly exhausted, but other than that, fine.

As she was looking through the refrigerator for eggs and avocados (foods she knew would help the blonde recover), Villanelle walked in.

“Hey,” She croaked. She had definitely just woken up. Her accent was low. Eve loved it.

“Oh hi, I was just getting some food to help with your…” Eve trailed off when she turned to face the blonde, seeing her in only a t-shirt and underwear. Really? She couldn’t have put shorts on?

“Hangover? Thank you, Eve. You didn’t have to do that. Or any of it really.” Villanelle mumbled, smirking to herself, walking over to sit at the countertop.

“It’s okay, I’ve had my fair share of them. I know what it’s like. Here, tea.” Eve set a mug on the countertop and returned to making the eggs. She found out that the blonde did  _ not _ have any avocados.

Villanelle smiled softly at the gesture. Eve knew she wasn’t a coffee person. Obviously, tea isn’t  _ that _ hard to make, but it made her so happy. No one had made her tea before.

The rest of the morning carried on in silence. The brunette wanted to start a conversation about anything. Preferably, about  _ them _ . But she could tell Villanelle didn’t want to say anything. 

She was comfortable eating the eggs in almost complete silence. Eve could also tell the other woman was tired. She had bags under her eyes and yawned a few times while they ate. But, she couldn’t take her eyes off her. Eve truly believed Villanelle was more beautiful here than anytime she’d seen her before.

Still, all the brunette wanted to say was ‘what does this mean?’ or ‘are we ok?’ Literally anything. But, she decided against it. She’d rather enjoy the morning with the blonde without speaking about the elephant in the room. She didn’t want to ruin a good morning by opening her mouth and she had to admit, sitting next to Villanelle, sipping her coffee and eating her eggs, was the happiest she’d been all week. 

Then she noticed that Villanelle’s neck was bare. She took off the necklace. Eve knew it wasn’t a wedding ring or anything, so she shouldn’t feel anything about the fact she had taken it off ... but Eve couldn’t help but feel a little sad. 

Again, it wasn’t a wedding ring, but it just felt that... was it over for good? No, stop being stupid, she thought to herself. It was just a piece of plastic. A piece of plastic that meant a lot to her.

“Well, I better head out. I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on,” Eve lied. 

She didn’t have that much work. She was just feeling more and more awkward. More… out of place. She knew Villanelle was feeling better, concerning her hangover, so she didn’t want to intrude any longer than she had to. 

“Oh ok, Eve. Thanks again for the…” She gestured to the now empty plates.

“No problem, V.” The brunette cursed herself at the nickname. It just came out. But, it felt weird because they weren’t together. Nicknames were for people in relationships or people who were friends. She had no idea what they were right now.

Eve grabbed her coat and purse from her chair and headed to the door, Villanelle following. 

She desperately wanted to talk to her. Why couldn’t she have just said something over breakfast? This was so weird and she didn’t like it. 

The brunette found life quite amusing at the moment. Amusing, but not in a good way. Every time she had stayed over at Villanelle’s, it was completely different. Like _completely_. The first time, she was nervous because she had _liked_ Villanelle, the second time she was _dating_ Villanelle and felt the happiest she’d been in a long time, and this time she scared and sad because she _wasn’t_ _dating_ Villanelle. She really wanted to give a big ‘fuck you’ to the Universe.

Eve finally gained courage as she started to open the door. She turned to face the blonde who was right behind her.

“Villanelle.. I…” She may have forgotten what she was going to say when she saw Villanelle staring at her lips.

The blonde gave a reassuring nod, trying to encourage the brunette to go on. But, Eve’s brain was not functioning at the moment.

The blonde leaned forward, slowly. 

Their lips were inches apart before Eve’s backup generators kicked in.

“That.. probably isn’t a good idea..” She whispered.

As much as Villanelle wanted to continue, she knew Eve was right. She was the one who had ended it. It wasn’t fair to Eve to kiss her. It wasn’t fair to herself. They should talk first. She wanted to, over breakfast, but she was enjoying the brunette’s company. Just sitting with her, eating the eggs  _ she  _ had made for  _ them.  _ It was like a dream she’d had before. Eve being over all the time, making breakfast, watching movies together, cuddling in bed. Normal stuff.

She didn’t want to ruin the dream by talking about...  _ anything.  _ So she kept quiet. It was nice… for the most part.

“You’re right,” Villanelle stepped back, opening the door wider.

“Bye, V.” Eve liked how the nickname rolled off her tongue. It felt natural and right. Despite, well, everything.

“Bye, Eve.” Villanelle smiled softly as she watched her walk down the hall and out of sight.

\---------------

The weekend went by surprisingly quickly for both of them. Mostly, they caught up on  _ much-needed _ sleep. So, when Monday rolled around, both were well-rested. Eve was in a much better mood than she’d thought she would be in. While she didn’t know where she and Villanelle stood or what was going on with them, she was just happy they weren’t avoiding each other, per se. They were just on different specialties now. 

Villanelle was on…. drum roll, please….. general surgery for the week. 

With Bill. And Nadia.

Secretly, Villanelle was looking forward to getting to know Bill. She knew how close he and Eve were. However, there was still Nadia. It would be awkward, sure, but she’d get over it. Nadia  _ had _ to be over her by now.

“Dr. Pargrave, good morning.” Villanelle chimed, turning the corner to see Bill looking at a patient’s chart.

“Please, call me Bill,” He smiled at her, setting the file down. 

“Ok… Bill. What do we have today?” 

They started talking about the surgeries they had for the week. Then about other people at the hospital. Then about themselves. 

They both found each other hilarious. Bill admired the blonde’s brutal honesty and straight-forward demeanor. And Villanelle respected the older man’s lack of care for society’s rules of normality. He really gave off that ‘I don’t give a fuck’ vibe.

“You know who you’d get on with, Villanelle?” He continued as they walked down the hall toward the OR for their first surgery. 

“And who would that be, Bill?” Villanelle inquired, mocking him  _ a little _ .

“Eve. She’s the trauma consultant. We did our training together and I don’t know, I have a feeling you guys would get on quite well.” 

She froze for only a moment. This was a bit awkward.

“Do you know her?” He questioned further.

They approached the main lobby where, speak of the devil, Eve was standing there. Except, she wasn’t alone. She was with a man and another woman. The man looked to be… yelling at her. 

Villanelle instantly knew what was going on and instinctively raced up to her. 

\--------------

Eve’s day started in the Trauma Center, like any other. She was going through papers and files, checking in on a few patients, when she got a call from the front desk. 

Not the front desk of the Trauma Center, as she was not only standing right there but the caller ID said it was from the main lobby of St. Thomas. The reception desk.

She picked up.

“Uh, hello?” 

“Hi, Dr. Eve Polastri?” A woman’s voice with a heavy Scottish accent answered.

“Yes, speaking.”

“Hello, this is Jen from the front desk. There’s someone here to see you. Says he’s your husband.”

Eve’s blood ran cold. Fucking Niko.

She wanted to correct her by saying ‘ex-husband’ but there wasn’t really any point.

“I’m on my way.” She didn’t wait for Jen’s response before hanging up.

“Elena, I’ll be back in a bit!” She yelled to the registrar, who nodded from across the room, as she put a patient’s arm in a cast.

She basically sprinted to the front lobby. Well, not sprinted as she despised running, but Eve walked very very fast.

When she arrived, she could see Niko’s back, he was talking to a woman in front of him.

“Niko,” Eve announced, speed-walking up to him.

He turned, revealing the woman that was in front of him. Gemma. And she’s….

Pregnant. She’s pregnant. She had to be 7 or 8 months along. 

Her and Niko’s divorce was only official 6 months ago.

Fucking arsehole.

“Oh.. you’re..” Eve couldn’t even find the words as she was staring at Gemma’s stomach.

“Yes, isn’t it amazing,” Niko grinned, wrapping his arm around Gemma.

“Con- Congrats.” She stammered. 

She and Niko had discussed kids. And you know what they decided? They didn’t want any. What was different with Gemma? Why did Niko want kids with her and not Eve? He constantly made her feel not good enough, and here he was, after they had divorced, continuing to make her feel that way.

“Well, I just wanted to check-in, see how you were doing.” He chuckled lightly and nudged her a little, trying to be playful but Eve only found it rude. He didn’t want to ‘check-in’. He wanted to rub Gemma’s pregnancy in her face. 

“Thanks, I-” Eve was cut off by her phone ringing.

She picked up, knowing the number off by heart by now.

“Trauma emergency! Ambulance here in 5!!” Elena yelled loudly enough, sounding as if she was on speaker.

“Ok, on my way.” She hung up.

“Sorry, I gotta go, Niko. Emergency.” She held up her phone, waving it slightly as if to emphasize the emergency.

“There always is. Never have time to talk to anyone anymore,” He rolled his eyes and groaned.

She wasn’t going to take this. Not anymore.

“What do you want me to say, Niko? How happy I am for you and Gemma? How ecstatic I am that there will be a mini-you running around?” She gestured to Gemma’s stomach, starting to yell. At this point, Eve didn’t really care about making a scene. This was  _ her  _ hospital. 

“You could at least have a conversation with me. But, no, you’re job is sooo important, that you can’t even stay for 5 minutes and talk.” Niko snarled, started waving his hands in the air, trying to make fun of her job.

“If you can recall, I’m actually saving people’s fucking lives. I don’t have time for this fake-nice bullshit, it’s so tiring that-” 

“You know what, Eve? This fake-nice bullshit is called common decency. It’s what people with actual lives outside work do. They talk, they meet people, they end up in  _ actual _ relationships. Instead of you, who does nothing but work work work. No wonder you’re alone.” He yelled and got so close to Eve’s face that all she wanted to do was punch his fucking mustache right off his smug face. 

Luckily, that’s when Villanelle stepped in. She slid right between Niko and Eve, facing the man, who was  _ barely  _ taller than her.

“Hey bigshot, I think it’s time for you to leave. Prenatal’s that way.” The blonde nodded her head vaguely down the hall. Prenatal was  _ not _ that way, but Eve knew what she was trying to do.

Niko scoffed, looked behind her at Eve, who was starting to feel the tears build up.

“Good luck, Eve. You’re gonna need it.” He growled, before grabbing Gemma’s hand and pulling her down the hall. Hopefully, they would get lost in the stupid halls.

As soon as Niko was out of eyesight, Villanelle turned to Eve.

“You ok?” She said, putting a hand on the shorter woman’s shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. I... I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.” Eve muttered, wiping her face, even though she had held back any tears. 

She wanted to say thank you, but she really didn’t need Villanelle swooping in. She could handle Niko. Obviously, it was sweet of the woman to step in, but, Eve was a grown woman. She could take care of herself.

“I know, Eve.” Villanelle tilted her head, smiling softly, her thumb rubbing circles on the brunette’s shoulder. She knew that was  _ her _ way of saying ‘thanks’.

“I have to go. Trauma emergency.” She almost forgot about the ambulance that was arriving in… that was arriving right now. Eve was lost in those hazel eyes and those beautiful lips and ….. 

“Ok, bye Eve.” She took her hand off her shoulder and watched the consultant scurry away to the Trauma Center.

“So I guess you  _ do _ know her,” Bill smirked, walking up next to the blonde, both of them starting to continue their way to the OR.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise, the plot's getting juicer! hang in there:)
> 
> thanks for the continued love, kudos and comments are forever appreciated.
> 
> come talk to me on twitter @villanellesgun if u want
> 
> love you all<3
> 
> kira x


	19. Disney Princesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle and Eve both talk to Bill. And a certain someone shows up at St. Thomas, sending Villanelle into a frenzy but Eve's there to comfort her.

**Chapter 19**

Over the three hours of their colostomy, Villanelle told Bill _everything._ He was very easy to talk to. Also, he knew Eve so well, he predicted her next moves as the blonde was telling him what had happened. Villanelle was amazed someone could know another person so well. She wanted that. With Eve, of course. 

Once their surgery was finished, they both headed to the Lounge, with their lunches, and continued talking. Eventually, the blonde finished explaining everything.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Bill inquired, shoving a sandwich into his mouth.

“I really don’t know… to be honest, I thought Eve would’ve said something by now.” She was poking her fork in and out of her salad.

“I bet she’s saying the same thing about you.” He gave her a look.

“What am I supposed to say? That I’m sorry? That I care about her so much that I didn’t tell her Anna was a consultant because I wanted her to like me back?” Villanelle blurted out, dropping her fork onto the table.

“Well, yes. That would probably do quite a lot.” Bill smirked. 

“Oh shut up.” She elbowed him and finally started eating her salad.

\-------------

Monday felt like it went on for a lifetime but it was finally coming to an end. Villanelle had gotten to go home early since Bill said he could handle the last operation by himself. The blonde was grateful, the whole day had been stressful, for more reasons than one. She needed sleep.

Eve was just getting out of surgery when she saw Bill. Her emergency operation had gone well and her patient would recover nicely. She had heard the blonde was on General that week and for absolutely no other reason, she went up to him, currently scrubbing out from surgery.

“Hey, stranger.” She said, standing next to him as he finished washing his hands.

“Hi there. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

He wasn’t wrong. They hadn’t really talked in ages. And somehow, they barely had any surgeries together. She figured it was because they were both consultants, they didn’t _need_ two consultants on one surgery unless it was very serious. 

“Yeah same, wanna go get something to eat? Catch-up?” Eve missed Bill. So much had happened to her in the past few months and she wanted to tell him everything.

“Yes, but you’re paying.” Bill winked, drying his hands.

“Deal.” Eve smiled and they walked over to Bear’s.

\-------------

They sat down at a booth, ordered some food and a couple of beers. Because it was Monday night, Bear’s wasn’t that crowded. It was nice. Eve could actually hear herself think.

“Alright so I have to be honest with you, Eve,” Bill started cautiously. 

“Oh god, what?” 

“I may or may not have talked with your _girlfriend_ today...” Now he was grinning.

“My- gi- My what? What are you talking about?” Sometimes, Eve wasn’t a good liar. This was one of those times.

“Dr. Astankova talked to me, in detail, about what’s going on between you two. Really didn’t need _all_ the details but she gave them anyway.” He laughed lightly. 

Villanelle may have _mentioned_ Eve sleeping over the second time… if you know what I mean.

“I can’t believe she- I just-” She groaned, putting her forehead on the wooden table. Not the most sanitary choice, but she wasn’t really thinking about that.

“Don’t be mad! It was actually very sweet, and I basically forced her into telling me after seeing her handle Niko this morning.” Bill held Eve’s forearm across the table.

Oh god, Niko. She had almost forgotten. Almost. It was hard to forget the size of Gemma’s stomach. Eve still couldn’t believe she was pregnant.

“I can’t believe Gemma’s pregnant.” 

“I always knew he was a dick-swab,” He said nonchalantly, sipping his beer.

“Hah! Yes, cheers to that,” Eve and Bill clinked glasses. 

“So, let’s catch-up, you first,” She said quickly and gestured toward him. Before this conversation, she wanted to talk to him about Villanelle, but now that Bill knew, she was rather content with avoiding that topic.

“Tsk, tsk, no Eve. _You_ first.”

“Well, you obviously know most of it already,” She mumbled into her beer. 

“Hmm well, I guess I’ll reiterate it to you then… so you and Villanelle liked each other, got together, you went behind her back to Carolyn, something you knew she wouldn’t like, and when she found out, she broke it off. Sound ‘bout right?”

“No! That sounds very very wrong,” She set her drink down, “I knew that she was keeping something from me and I went to Carolyn to find out what it was. When I eventually found out I… well yeah she broke it off..” Eve softened. Bill was mostly right.

“I just… I want to take it back. I didn’t even want to go to Carolyn. She didn’t even tell me anything! I went looking and I found out Anna was a consultant because I was the one who kept digging when I shouldn’t have been. And now… I don’t even know. I don’t even know if Villanelle is still mad at me. I don’t even know if I’m still mad at her. We’ve barely spoken and it’s just so...” 

“From what I gathered, she’s a little mad. But, she’s more sad than she is angry. Not that she’d ever admit it but… she misses you and you obviously miss her. Why don’t you two talk it over, yeah? Who knows, maybe you’ll marry the girl and live happily ever after,” Bill gave her a knowing look, he was only half-joking about Eve marrying her.

“I’m not a Disney princess, Bill.” She tried to sound angry but she couldn’t hide her smile. The thought of being with Villanelle forever… it was nice. And he was right, she missed her so much. She just didn’t know how Villanelle felt. How she _really_ felt.

“Those karaoke nights singing ‘A Whole New World’ beg to differ..” He grinned. 

She had really missed Bill.

\-------------

Eve kept trying to get Villanelle alone for the whole week. 

Villanelle kept trying to get Eve alone for the whole week. 

The Universe had it out for them. Every time Villanelle was free, Eve wasn’t. Every time Eve was free, Villanelle wasn’t. The blonde was given many night shifts and Eve always had the day shift. It was like a cruel joke was being played on them. It wasn’t until Thursday morning where they were in the same room together. 

Villanelle was in the changing room, getting into her scrubs. Eve had just gotten to the hospital and was heading to the Lounge. And as if fate was playing tricks with them, the blonde exited the changing room just as the brunette entered the Lounge. 

“Oh, hi,” Eve whispered, starting to take off her coat.

“Hi.” Villanelle smiled softly, holding her own jacket. They looked at each other for a moment before they realized they weren’t alone.

“Yeah it was the weirdest thing, I just expected a yes or no.” Kenny was mid-conversation with Elena, who was sitting across from him on the couch. 

“Oh morning guys, speak of the devil,” Elena said, turning to them and smiling. She had noticed them before, but she wanted to see if they were gonna start a conversation with each other and since they hadn’t...

“Me?” Eve pointed to herself, heading for the coffee maker. Villanelle was worried she had an addiction. Too much caffeine was not good for you, she knew this.

“No, not you. V. Kenny was just talking about a patient and his wife who work at Broadgreen.” She clarified, gesturing to Kenny.

“Yeah, it was so weird. I asked the wife if she knew you and she kinda freaked out. I was just asking. I thought it was a pretty simple question.” He shrugged.

Villanelle froze as she was hanging her coat up on the rack. No, it couldn’t be.

“What- what was her name?” The blonde stammered.

Eve instantly picked up on this nervousness, turning her head as she poured the coffee into a mug. Villanelle looked terrified and her face went pale.

“Oh, I don’t know. Started with an A, I think. Last name was Leonova.” He volunteered.

“I gotta- I gotta go.” She trembled and basically ran out of the room.

Anna was _here_ . Why the hell was Anna _here_? 

“Was it something I said?” Kenny asked, looking at Eve.

“No no it wasn’t. It’s just… I don’t know.” The brunette looked at the door. Should she follow her? Leave her alone for a little while? She didn’t know what to do. 

“You should go after her, babe.” Elena and her blessed sixth-sense.

Eve immediately forgot about her coffee and exited the room, almost crashing into Hugo. 

“Oh, Eve! Hi there.”

“Have you seen Villanelle?” She questioned, not caring about pleasantries.

“Yeah um, she just went that way, I think to one of the one call rooms.” He answered, gesturing down the hall.

“Thanks,” Eve muttered, already racing to where she knew the blonde was. It was the same on-call where they kissed for the first time.

She knocked lightly and gingerly opened the door. It was unlocked.

“Villanelle? Are you in here?” She peeked her head inside. She heard sniffling, and then she saw her. Huddled up in the corner with her knees to her chest.

“V…” Eve closed the door behind her and locked it, rushing over to sit next to her. She didn’t know if the blonde would mind the breach of personal space. Would she flinch? Would she tell Eve to go away? Would Eve go away if she did?

“Hey, it’s okay… she’s not going to hurt you.” Eve started to rub circles on her back and Villanelle didn’t flinch.

The blonde had never fully cried in front of someone. Until now.

“Eve, I really thought I loved her.” She choked out. Why was she telling her this? The blonde really didn’t know, but she knew she couldn’t hold in all these feelings anymore. They were at the surface.

“I know… I know.” The brunette whispered, gently pushing Villanelle’s head on her shoulder. God, what was she doing? 

Anna was in the building. Or at least her husband was. This really wasn’t good. For either of them. And she knew asking Villanelle what she wanted to do wasn’t a good idea. She was crying on her shoulder and that last thing she would want to do is to _talk_ about it. 

Villanelle knew she was skilled at pushing down her feelings when they weren’t good ones, so this is exactly what she did. Or, what the blonde had planned to do. But, she was sitting next to Eve crying about Anna. She didn’t think this could get any worse.

“Do you... want to see her?” Eve muttered, tentatively. Talking about it, or at least starting to, would be the most helpful way of figuring out what Villanelle was thinking.

“I don’t know.” 

“I might be good to… to move on, maybe.”

“I don’t want to see her, Eve.”

“Okay... it just might.. help.”

“I don’t want to see her, Eve,” Villanelle said firmly as she stood up, Eve did the same.

“Ok ok, you don’t have to.” She knew it was better to agree with the woman. She couldn’t risk saying the wrong thing... again. She didn’t want to make anything worse.

The brunette wanted Villanelle to talk to Anna, for closure. She knew, better than most, that leaving something without closure only made things worse. But she was going to support the blonde, regardless of what she did.

“Well, I better go... surgery.” Villanelle shrugged.

“Yeah, go,” Eve whispered, nudging the blonde toward the door, smiling at her. This felt… nice. Not awkward. Well, a little awkward. 

“Eve.. I…” Oh no. She was staring at her lips again. And Eve was staring at _her_ lips.

“V….” She took her hand and cupped Villanelle’s cheek, stepping closer to her.

Eve didn’t know what she was doing. She knew they should talk about….wait, what should they talk about again? She obviously didn’t know because she started to lean into Villanelle.

“Eve, we should talk. I would… like to talk.” The blonde said intently, stepping back. As much as she wanted to kiss Eve, she couldn’t pretend nothing had happened.

“Yes, ye- I agree. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have...” The brunette stepped back, her face flushed. 

“Could we talk tonight? I have an appendectomy at 5 but… maybe after that? In the Lounge?”

“Yeah ok, I’ll see you then.”

“See you then, Eve.” Villanelle smiled back at her as she opened the door and stepped out. 

Unfortunately, they wouldn’t see each other at 5 in the Lounge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda a cliffhanger? idk, but i'm sorry. a new chapter on sunday so not too long of a wait ;)  
> thanks for all the love on this story and my new one, it truly means the world. ily  
> talk to me on twitter if you want! @villanellesgun
> 
> kira x


	20. Psycho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna & Villanelle talk. Villanelle doesn't take it so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thx for the continued love on this story, i love you all  
> i can't believe we are 2/3rds of the way done ahhhhh

**Chapter 20**

Villanelle was with a patient when she saw her through the room’s window. Similar curls, not the same as Eve’s, but similar. 

Anna.

She finished with the patient, as fast as she could, and ran down the hall (it was more of a jog) to catch up to her. She had no idea what was carrying her feet on the white tiles. But, she ended up down a small hallway chasing Anna Leonova.

Was it curiosity? Was it what Eve said earlier about moving on? Maybe she did need to move on. Maybe this was the only way. But maybe it wasn’t.

Before her brain could tell her stop, she was right behind her.

“Anna.”

“Ok-Oksana?” She turned, her face in complete shock.

“It’s Villanelle.” She hated being called ‘Oksana’, especially since Anna knew her new name.

Anna didn’t say anything for a moment, perhaps thinking about what she  _ should  _ say.

“How are you doing?” 

Are you serious, Anna? That’s what you have to say?

“Cut the shit, Anna. Why the hell are you here?” The blonde snarled. 

“Maxi.. he had a heart attack.”

Ugh. ‘Maxi’. It was only because Villanelle didn’t actually care about him that she didn’t gag at the stupid nickname.

Anna and Max had been visiting the London Eye when Max had an unexpected heart attack. And, unfortunately for the blonde, St. Thomas was the closest hospital. Villanelle, as mean or as dark as it sounds, couldn’t care less if Max was dead or alive. So, she didn’t say anything. 

“He’s… alive, but he’s going to be here for a few days.”

“Why did you lie? Why did you say  _ I _ tried to seduce you? You know that wasn’t what happened and then you complained to the Chief and he sent me to London! Why? Why would you do that?” Again, Villanelle didn’t care about Max at all. She was focused on moving on. The only way to do that was by cutting straight to the point.

“I couldn’t do this, Oks- Villanelle. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t normal,” Anna sighed and gestured between them, “You’re… not normal.” 

Villanelle had been called ‘not normal’ her entire life. Anna was the one person who hadn’t... until now. Well, Eve hadn’t.

“Fine, Anna. You’re right. I’m not normal but you know what? At least I know who I am and what I want. I don’t want to be someone like you. Someone who can’t even be honest about what they care about. You’re pathetic.” Villanelle spat, filled with an amount of anger she’d never seen in herself before.

“You’re crazy! And a psychopath if you think we could have ever worked, Oksana. You’re the pathetic one.” Anna snapped, turning on her heel, and walking away. 

Villanelle had never felt rage like  _ this _ before. She’d been called a psychopath before, but it didn’t hurt like this.

\--------

**_The first time was when she was 8:_ **

She was in 3rd grade. In Russia. 

She didn’t have many friends, so she sat alone most lunches. She was eating whatever the cafeteria was serving that day (her parents never made her lunch) and writing in her notebook, when another boy, one she disliked for no particular reason, sat across from her. 

“Why do you always sit alone?”

She really didn’t like this kid.

“Because everyone else is annoying.” She didn’t even look up at him.

“You’re weird.” That was the kid’s first mistake. 

He then reached out to grab the pencil in Oksana’s hand. Before he could take the pencil, Oksana maybe...kinda...stabbed his hand with the pencil. He was fine, don’t worry.

When she was taken to the Principal’s office and asked if she felt sorry about what she did, her answer caused… more problems.

“It was his left hand, he’s right-handed. I was being kind.” Young Oksana shrugged.

The Principal called her parents and they were  _ not  _ happy.

“She’s not normal. She definitely has some brain problems. Maybe she’s a  _ psychopath _ or something because no ordinary child would do…. that. She’s crazy, I… I would recommend having her see someone. A specialist of some sort.” She heard the Principal say through the thin wooden door.

Her parents didn’t care enough about her to contact a ‘specialist of some sort.’

**_The second time was when she was 15:_ **

She was a sophomore in high school. She still called herself Oksana. She still didn’t have many friends. She was fine with it as she hated everyone in her class. All she wanted to do was learn about languages, history, and biology… 

One day, when she came home from school, her father was drunk. Really really drunk. It’s one of the reasons she didn’t like drinking very much. 

“Oksana!! Get in here!” He yelled. Oksana, books in hand, walked into the kitchen, seeing her father with a beer.

“Why are you so weird? Honestly, you have no friends. Not one. All you do is study study study. It’s not normal. You’re a teenager, you should be going out and having fun but you don’t. It’s insane to me! I’ll never understand. Fuckin’  _ psycho _ .” Her father whispered the last part, but she had heard it (he said it all in Russian, obviously).

She didn’t know what to do until the beer bottle was thrown at her, shattering at the contact of the wall next to her. Then, she ran as fast as she could.

**_The third time was when she was 18:_ **

She was graduating high school. Finally. She had decided to get as far away from Russia as possible. She picked Scotland. She didn’t care where she was, she just couldn’t be  _ there _ anymore. She hadn’t told her parents where she was going, they hadn’t asked. So when she was leaving for Scotland, she’d thought she’d make an exit. Even then, she loved being dramatic.

Her parents were in the living room when she walked in, her suitcases behind her.

“I’m leaving. For good. I don’t want to see or hear from either of you ever again.” She stated, face blank of expression.

“Good riddance,  _ psycho _ bitch.” Her father slurred, drinking yet another beer. 

Her mother looked at her, and for a moment, just a moment, Oksana thought she’d say something like ‘I love you’ or ‘Please stay.’ 

She did not.

“Leave your keys.” She said, gesturing at the table by the front door.

_ Villanelle _ never looked back.

\------------

The fourth (and final time) was... well, you already know.

She couldn’t breathe. It’s as if the air in the tiny hallway was suffocating her. Villanelle wanted to get out, run down the hallway, run outside, run as far away as she can. Just like she had when she left Russia. But her legs didn’t move. They gave out. The blonde fell to the floor, panting. 

She didn’t even feel Elena’s touch until she starting speaking.

“Hey, hey what’s going on babe?”

“I- I- I need to go. I need to get out of here,” She stammered.

Elena offered her a hand to help her up. Villanelle took it, finally getting back to her feet.

Before Elena could say another word, the other registrar was halfway down the hall and out the door.

“V, wait!” She yelled but it was too late.

Villanelle raced outside, it felt as if she couldn’t breathe inside. She was outside, panting, hands on her knees. She needed to punch something. She needed to get out this... rage. She needed to get out all that she was feeling. Anna meant nothing. Still, she felt so abandoned by her. 

The closest thing was… a brick wall. That would have to do. She punched it and punched it until she saw crimson. Her knuckles were red and bloody. She didn’t even feel the pain. 

When she finally snapped back into reality, she recognized how much she had damaged her hands. She was a surgeon, after all. Not good.

“Shit.” She muttered, flipping her hands over, trying to assess the damage. 

She needed to clear her head. She couldn’t be around St. Thomas anymore. She turned and headed to Westminster bridge, forgetting about all her responsibilities. 

\------------

As soon as Villanelle ran away from her, Elena knew where she needed to go. It was almost 5 when she found Eve in the Lounge.

“Eve, I just saw Villanelle and she was... I don’t know..” 

The brunette perked up at the mention of the blonde’s name. She stood up and hurried toward the registrar.

“She was what, Elena? What happened?”

“I saw her with that patient’s wife from Broadgreen and they were yelling and when she walked away, V was on the floor crying. When I asked her what happened, she got up and ran away. I- I don’t know where she went. I tried to stop her but..” 

“Elena, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Eve put her hands on the registrar’s shoulders, reassuring her. 

“Eve... I heard what Villanelle said. To the other woman. She said that she complained to the Chief that Villanelle seduced her and that’s why he sent her to London... that’s why you guys broke up, right? Because of that woman?” 

Oh shit. That makes sense. Anna lied to the Chief, saving herself, betraying Villanelle’s trust. The blonde thought she loved this woman. Then Anna did that? Lied to everyone? No wonder Villanelle couldn’t talk about it, Anna had shattered any idea of love that she had. And then Eve went behind her back to talk to someone else about it. Of course that hurt Villanelle. It was another betrayal by someone she’d gotten so close to.

She’d taken away any idea of trust that Villanelle still had. Which was, because of Anna, not very much. Eve then pulled out her phone and called the blonde. She didn’t even think about answering Elena’s question. She just needed to talk to Villanelle.

It went straight to voice mail. Shit.

Then, she knew where to go.

Eve was on a mission. To kill Anna. Well, maybe not kill her. But to harm her… emotionally. Whatever she had said to Villanelle had made the woman so distraught she fell to the floor, crying. She quickly found out where Anna’s husband was staying and made her way to the room. Through the window she saw a woman, who she assumed to be Anna, having strikingly similar hair to hers, sitting next to a man on a hospital bed. 

She knocked, not waiting for a reply, before barging in.

“Mrs. Leonova, may I speak with you outside?” Anna turned to her, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Uhh yes ok..” Anna looked back at Max, still confused, before getting up and following Eve out the door. 

“Is there something wrong? You’re not the usual doctor that-”

“I’m not here for your husband. I’m here about Villanelle.” Eve basically growled.

Anna froze.

“Wh- Why would you want to talk about her with me?”

“I know what happened between you and her so please don’t act like you don’t,” She held her hand up toward the other woman, “Why the hell did you lie? She didn’t seduce you, she didn’t threaten you. It was consensual and you know it. You’re the one who complained to the Chief, playing the victim, so you could all make it go away and your husband would never know  _ you _ cheated.” Eve felt herself getting angrier and angrier.

“Villanelle is the kindest, most-hardworking person I have ever met. She isn’t afraid to give you some tough-love but she will do absolutely  _ anything _ for the people she cares about. You got scared that you might actually feel something toward her so you went and fucked it all up. And by doing so, you hurt her more than you could ever imagine.” She realized she wasn’t  _ only _ talking about Anna at this point.

“I would say I pity you, but I really really don’t.” Eve had to walk away before she started crying, leaving Anna with no words.

As the brunette raced back to the Lounge, she kept calling Villanelle. Still no answer. When she walked in she saw Elena, looking at her own phone, she was scared stiff. 

“Elena... what is it?” Eve could immediately sense something was wrong.

“There was a car accident, near the bridge. They say there’s two in critical condition. A man in his teens and... a blonde woman in her twenties.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another cliffhanger?? sorry!!  
> new chap on wednesday  
> how r u feeling about this story so far:))
> 
> love u
> 
> kira x


	21. Flatline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve cries and Villanelle tries to save a life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all needed this chapter, here you go  
> TW// mention and slight description of a car crash

**Chapter 21**

Eve froze. She had a bad habit of immediately going to the worst-case scenario. Therefore, when Elena said there was a ‘blonde woman in her twenties’ in a car accident….

Let’s just say, her mind quickly went to the possibility that it was Villanelle.

“It’s not her, Eve. Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.” Elena pulled her into a hug, already knowing what the consultant was thinking.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if it’s her… I ca- I can’t lose her.” She mumbled into the registrar’s shoulder.

They headed to the Trauma center, slower than usual. Once they got there, Eve kicked back into Surgeon-mode. She and Elena went out of the glass doors, waiting for the ambulance. When it arrived, a young boy was pulled out on the stretcher. It must’ve been the other victim. The teenager. Eve couldn’t help but wonder where the ‘blond woman in her twenties’ was...

She quickly went to the patient’s side and examined his wounds. The paramedic told her that he was the driver and the other victim was a pedestrian. The pedestrian was apparently trapped under part of the car, which was why she wasn’t here yet. 

Eve couldn’t listen. It was too much. This was so similar to what had happened with her father, the person she loved the most in the world. And now Villanelle….

“Elena, room 3!” She yelled. Elena nodded and helped the stretcher toward the room, paramedics in tow.

Eve couldn’t be here, she ran down the hall, turning the corner and crumbling to the floor. She couldn’t help a patient when all she was thinking about was Villanelle. That wasn’t fair to anyone.

Speaking of Villanelle, where the hell was she? 

\--------------

Villanelle was walking back from Westminster Bridge when it happened. She had been replaying her conversation with Anna over and over again. She couldn’t believe she ever thought she loved that hateful woman. She wanted to be free of her.

_‘It wasn’t normal. You’re not normal.’_

She wanted to be free with Eve. She knew she was the one for her. The way she helped her in the on-call room today despite Villanelle breaking up with her weeks ago. No one had shown her the amount of kindness Eve had. She cared for her regardless of what happened between them. Was that what love was? 

_‘A psychopath’._

She didn’t see it happen, but she heard the screams.

“Someone help!!! She’s been hit!!!”

The blonde raced over to where the grey sedan crashed into a tree. She could see blonde hair coming from under the car. How did this happen? 

_‘You’re the pathetic one.’_

Villanelle quickly forgot about Anna. 

“Someone call 999!” She yelled to her surroundings as other pedestrians started to gather around the car, “I’m a surgeon at St. Thomas, I need you to breathe for me, okay? What’s your name?” Villanelle was kneeling next to the blonde victim, inspecting her injuries, but the woman was struggling to fill her lungs with air. 

\----------------

When the ambulance finally arrived at the site, Villanelle was trying to keep the woman alive. She couldn’t move the car, risking hurting the victim even more and the woman could barely speak.

“Please stay with me, okay? Please...”

The paramedics got the driver out of the car and on an ambulance. Then firefighters arrived, helping to lift the car, allowing the woman to be pulled out. She was quickly placed on a stretcher and put in the back of an ambulance, Villanelle following. She felt a responsibility for the woman. A complete stranger. 

“Who are you?” One paramedic said to the registrar as they lifted the woman into the yellow vehicle.

“I’m a surgeon at St. Thomas, I need to get back there, can I jump in with you?”

“Right yeah, get in. We gotta move, she’s gonna crash soon.”

She quickly jumped in the back. The paramedic was right. As short as the ride was, the woman’s heart rate was dropping rapidly. She wasn’t going to make it. Just as they drove into St. Thomas’s driveway, Villanelle heard the sound. Flatline. 

_BEEEEEEEPPPP_

“She’s crashing!!” The paramedic yelled, looking at the monitor.

Villanelle didn’t need to be told twice. She stepped onto the stretcher, straddling the woman, and started compressions.

“Come on, stay with me,” She whispered, rhythmically pushing on the woman’s chest.

The backdoor of the ambulance swung open, revealing Elena.

“Villanelle, oh my god, you’re okay!” Elena let the paramedics lower the blonde registrar, who was still continuing compressions, and the patient, down to the ground.

“She’s crashing, we need a defibrillator now!” Villanelle yelled, stepping off the stretcher, finding the AED pads and placing them on the woman’s chest. 

The paramedics rushed into the Trauma center, Elena and Villanelle running behind them until they all stopped at the closest room. 

“Here.” Elena grabbed the defibrillator and handed it to the other registrar.

“CLEAR!” She pressed the button, waited for the shock to finish, then restarted CPR. 

“Come on, stay with me.” She grumbled, and for some reason, she was feeling tears build in the corner of her eyes. 

The next two minutes felt like two years.

Then….

_Beep…..Beep…..Beep…..Beep_

“Oh thank god.” She sighed, stepping back to let the paramedics take her to an exam room.

“Right, Exam room 4, let’s go!” The other registrar demanded, starting to move the patient and the paramedics toward the door.

“Wait, Elena, why wouldn’t I be okay?” Villanelle just registered what Elena said when she arrived in the ambulance.

“You better find Eve.” Was all Elena said before pushing the stretcher out and toward Exam Room 4.

\--------------

Eve had spent the last 15 minutes crying her eyes out. She was curled up on the floor, hands wrapped around her knees, her face buried into thighs. She really thought she had lost Villanelle. Obviously, it was _a bit_ irrational to jump to that conclusion, but rationality went out the window when it came to how she felt for the blonde. 

Prepare for the cheesiness, because it’s coming at full-force:

Everything about Villanelle was crazy to Eve. The blonde had swooped in and changed her life instantly. It’s like she opened up a door to happiness that Eve didn’t even know existed. She understood Villanelle. And when she didn’t, she did everything to get clarity about the things she didn’t understand. Which is why she went to Carolyn. But she realized how that broke Villanelle’s trust, something the blonde valued so sacredly. Eve wanted to learn from her mistakes. She wanted to trust Villanelle entirely. And she wanted the blonde to trust her entirely.

Villanelle was the most supportive person Eve had ever met. She knew how much the brunette loved her job and how much she needed it. She was so supportive of her and her dreams in ways that Eve could never have imagined. And not only did she find Villanelle’s confidence and courage attractive, she truly admired these qualities. She knew she could do everything she set her mind to. And Eve wanted to support and encourage the blonde’s goals, pushing her to be the best she could be.

But the brunette thought she was gone... she thought she had lost her just like she had lost her dad. She thought she had lost any opportunity to see what Villanelle would accomplish. She thought she would never see her again until…

“Eve?” 

The blonde was still her scrubs, the blue fabric scuffed up at the elbows and knees from when she was helping the woman under the car. Her hair was in a messy bun and her face had some dirt on it (again due to her proximity to the crashed car and the ground). 

Despite this, Eve thought she was looking at an angel. The brunette’s mascara was all over her face, her eyes read puffy (from the crying), and her hair in a ponytail. And Villanelle still thought she was the most beautiful person in the world. But why was she crying? The blonde didn’t understand.

“V?” Eve whispered, slowly getting up on her feet. She thought she was looking at a ghost, would she be able to touch her? She was blinking rapidly, convinced her eyes and mind were playing a trick on her.

“Eve, are you okay?” Villanelle furrowed her brow and tilted her head, taking a few steps forward, tentatively. The woman looked shocked, scared, and another emotion she couldn't identify. 

“I- I…” She felt a lump in her throat, unable to make words. This had obviously happened before when it came to Villanelle, but this time… it was _very_ different.

While her voice didn’t work, her legs surprisingly did. She sprinted straight down the hall and wrapped her arms around Villanelle’s neck. The blonde’s arms naturally wrapped around the brunette’s waist and lifted her up, spinning them around. It felt like the final scene of a Rom-com.

“What was that for?” She put Eve back on the ground after a moment, smiling with her teeth. She had missed the brunette so much. But why was she crying?

“I... I thought I lost you, stupid.” She breathed, her voice breaking a little, nudging Villanelle gently.

“What are you talking about?”

“When I heard about the car accident, a blond woman in her twenties, I thought… I thought I lost _you_.” 

“Oh, Eve I-”

“Villanelle I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I went to Carolyn behind your back. I betrayed your trust and I know that trust means a lot to you because of everything that happened with your parents and Anna. And I’m so sorry for how she treated you... you deserve so much better and all I want is-”

Villanelle pressed her lips to Eve, cupping her face, effectively interrupting her. The brunette felt those soft warm lips on hers and it was the best feeling in the world.

“I’m sorry too. I should’ve told you about Anna and how she was a consultant. I wanted to, I really did, I just....” She trailed off, her lips millimeters away from the brunette’s.

“It’s okay...” Eve rubbed her thumb across the taller woman’s cheek. She knew why the blonde hadn’t told her, she didn’t need her to explain.

“I missed you,” The brunette stepped on her tip-toes to press her lips to the registrar’s, “so much.”

“I missed you too, Eve.” She whispered, capturing her lips once more. 

“Oh my god, your hands… what happened?” Eve asked, finally noticing the scratches on the other woman’s knuckles. 

“I kinda punched a brick wall after I saw... Anna.” Villanelle looked down, now ashamed, as the consultant took both of her hands and kissed her knuckles.

“Come on, let’s go fix ‘em up, and then we’re going to yours.” She carefully grabbed one of her wrists and started walking down the hall.

She could feel Villanelle’s smirk from behind her.

“To sleep. I’m exhausted.” The brunette clarified, rolling her eyes.

“Mmhmm, yes me too, Eve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! if you are able and have the means, please donate to those in Lebanon. they need our help.
> 
> [here's a link for online donations.](https://www.supportlrc.app/donate/donate.html)
> 
> love you all, hope you're staying safe
> 
> kira x


	22. Clos Maggiore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle & Eve go on a lovely date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW hehe  
> and the translations for the Italian/French are in the end notes  
> also, the restaurant mentioned is real and on my bucket list to go to once in my lifetime

**Chapter 22**

“You’re not wearing your necklace,” Eve murmured, rubbing her hand over Villanelle’s bare neck, cuddled up next to her after waking up. They did sleep, it wasn’t the only thing they did, but they did eventually go to sleep. After Eve wrapped Villanelle’s knuckles in gauze, they quickly found themselves back at the blonde’s apartment (after they had checked that both patients from the car accident were being taken care of) and Eve _obviously_ spent the night.

“Oh.. right,” Villanelle turned to her nightstand, opening the top drawer and pulling out the necklace which was in….a plastic bag?

“It... I don’t know what to call it...” She said holding the bag in front of the brunette’s face.

The necklace had rusted. It was all copper and half-green. 

“Oh, V, I’m so sorry, I knew it was cheap but..” Eve started inspecting the necklace, rubbing her thumb over the plastic bag.

“Eve. Do not be sorry. I love the necklace and I will cherish it forever. But… forever in the plastic bag, because as much as I love it, I will choose to not get my neck green.” Villanelle reassured, rubbing small designs on the brunette’s back, staring at the necklace as well. 

Eve had an idea. The blonde was going to love it, but it’ll have to stay a secret for a little longer.

“As much as I don’t want to mention it… we should probably get to work.” She said, taking the plastic bag and putting it back in the drawer. When she started to sit up, Eve wrapped a leg around her waist, straddling her.

“Maybe,” The consultant whispered, leaning into Villanelle, “we can be late.”

\----------------

When they _finally_ got to the hospital, they were greeted with Elena, Kenny, and Hugo in the Lounge.

“Oh hi guys, you’re...” Hugo checked his watch, “quite late.”

“Yeah, where have you been?” Kenny chimed in, oblivious.

Villanelle smirked while Eve’s face went very _very_ red.

“Traffic,” Eve said shortly, turning toward the changing room.

“Foot traffic?” Elena called out, grinning, but both Villanelle and Eve had left to change into their scrubs.

“We’re going to have to tell people eventually,” The blonde snaked her arms around the brunette’s waist and pulled her closer, “It’s very hard to keep my hands off of you…” She started trailing kisses down the shorter woman’s neck.

“Mmm well, you might need to learn some self-control.” Eve smiled, turning around to face the blonde.

Villanelle could flirt all day, but she wasn’t joking. They were really going to have to tell people about their relationship. Sooner rather than later. And she really didn’t want to hide behind closed doors anymore. 

“Eve… I don’t want to be a secret anymore. I did that with Anna and that...” Villanelle was looking down, shaking her head slightly, unable to make eye contact with the brunette. 

As grateful as she was for Eve apologizing and both of them acknowledging their mistakes, she still found it difficult to be so emotionally vulnerable. All in due time.

“I don’t want you to be a secret either,” Eve replied, cupping the taller woman’s face.

Hazel eyes perked up then.

“So you want to…” She furrowed her brow, eyes wide, waiting for the brunette to finish her sentence.

“I want to tell people. Not everyone, but the people we care about. Like Kenny, Hugo,” She wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck, “When I thought you were in that car accident, the first thing I thought of was... well, that you were _in_ the accident... but, I mostly thought about how stupid I was.” Eve was fiddling with Villanelle’s hair while she talked, the blonde wrapping her arms around the brunette’s waist.

“You asked me to be your girlfriend, something new and scary to you, and I went behind your back, making you not trust me or... yourself. I was so stupid asking for us to be a secret because I see this going somewhere and I… I don’t want to hide that anymore.” 

She was thinking about dropping the ‘L’ bomb, but she thought it was too early. They hadn’t even talked about whether they were back together or not, so using the ‘L-word’ might be too much for both of them right now. Eve wasn’t even sure if she felt it... yet.

The blonde couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was all that she wanted and more. She found someone that wasn’t ashamed to be with her. She found someone that wanted the world to know how they felt about her.

“That... that would be amazing, Eve. Thank you.” She bent down and pressed a chaste kiss to Eve’s lips.

“Does this mean you’re my girlfriend again?” Villanelle murmured, her forehead pressed to Eve’s.

The brunette couldn’t help but giggle. Are we sure they are surgeons in a hospital and not teenagers in high school?

“Yes, I am your girlfriend... again.” 

This time, she was _sure._

“Good.”

“How about tomorrow, we could all go get drinks and we can tell everyone?” Eve grinned.

“Perfect.” Villanelle captured Eve’s lips with her own, again.

\------------

It was Friday, which meant it was, technically, Villanelle’s last day on General (unless she was called in during the weekend). She had actually enjoyed the week a lot. Obviously, she enjoyed today much more because she and Eve were back together, but she did like working with Bill. And she only saw Nadia a few times, so there were very few awkward encounters.

Except, she didn’t feel _it._ As much as she liked Bill, she didn’t _like_ General. It was nice, necessary of course, but Villanelle knew it wasn’t going to be her specialty. And at this point, she was getting very upset at herself. She just wanted to pick a specialty and be done with this choice. Hopefully, whatever specialty she was on next week was one she could see herself doing in the future. She was tired of all _this_.

When the day finally ended, she pulled out her phone and saw a text from Eve with an attached address.

**_Eve:_ ** _I’m taking you out to dinner tonight. Go home, dress sexy (please), and then meet me_ _here_ _at 8. x_

Eve had a wonderful day. She and Elena were in the Trauma center (literally where else would they be?) and didn’t have any surgeries the whole day. This happened from time to time, and the brunette was more than grateful for a relaxed day. 

They went to see a few patients that needed to be checked on, but they spent most of the day talking to each other (how very unprofessional of them). Elena, obviously, noticed how different Eve was acting and due to her sixth-sense, she chalked it up to her being back together with Villanelle.

“I’m just… she makes me so happy. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy before.” She said, walking next to Elena toward the Lounge.

“Babe, honestly, you’re actually glowing. I’m so happy for you, really.” 

Eve couldn’t help but smile. Her best friend is happy and supportive of her and Villanelle. That’s on everyone’s checklist when in a relationship. She’d gotten the best friend stamp of approval. She’d kind of already had it, but now it was _official._

“I do have something to tell you, Eve...”

“Is everything okay?” The consultant stopped and turned to her.

“Yes! Yes... sorry bad way to start. I… well, while you and V were on a ‘break’,” She air quoted ‘break’ and Eve rolled her eyes, “Kenny and I kind of… got together..” She was nervous. This was the first time Eve had seen Elena nervous. Oh my god.

“No fucking way! Why didn’t you tell me?” Eve’s grin was so big, Elena _had_ to roll her eyes.

“I don’t want an ‘I told you so’... it just kind of happened, okay? And you had a lot going on.” Elena shrugged and continued walking.

Eve knew she shouldn’t mention how often she had said they’d be great together… Even though she had obviously been right. So, she just wrapped her arm around Elena’s shoulder and rested her head on the other woman.

“I’m happy for you too.”

Eve’s happiness was skyrocketing. She wanted to keep it going so she thought she’d take Villanelle on a date. She didn’t know if they had been on an official date yet. 

There was Cherry on Top, but they weren’t together yet…

There was The Telephone, but they had just decided on ‘friends’ while they were there...

There was the coffee shop where Villanelle asked her to be her girlfriend, but that wasn’t a date-date….

Oh, well, there was the fun-fair. 

That was a date, right? I don’t think either had said it was, but it definitely seemed like one. But, they broke up after that. Okay, so, technically, this was their _second_ official date, but, it was their _first_ official date since they got back together. And Eve was going to make it count. 

She sent that text to Villanelle as soon as she got off work, already preparing to make the night as special as possible for her girlfriend. 

\--------------

I don’t think Villanelle was more excited than at that moment. She was rushing home, even though she had plenty of time because she, just like Eve, was beyond happy. She had never felt this supported, cared for, or trusted. Also, as much as she loved to surprise Eve, she liked the change of _Eve_ surprising _her._ She had no idea what the other woman had planned, other than dinner. And she loved the mystery.

She finally picked her outfit. Eve told her to dress sexy and she happily obliged. She was wearing a velvet dark purple sleeveless V-neck dress that went down to her mid-thigh, pairing it with black heels. The dress showed _a lot_ of cleavage, which was something she knew Eve would appreciate. She curled her hair, slightly, and let it down.

She took an Uber to the address Eve had sent, bouncing her leg up and down the entire way. She was very nervous. No one had taken _her_ out on a date before. When she stepped out, she arrived at the restaurant. _Clos Maggiore._ The exterior was beautiful; a red wooden door, plants lined the black gate surrounding the few tables that were outside, with a dark red overhead. This place was very fancy.

She walked inside, meeting the hostess. 

“Do you have a reservation?” Was that an Italian accent?

“Oh uh...” Eve hadn’t given her any details about what to do when she got there.

“Are you Ms. Astankova?” The hostess looked down at what Villanelle assumed to be the list of reservations and then looked back up to her. How did she know? What was Eve up to?

“Yes, I am.” 

“Right this way,” The woman gestured to follow her, and Villanelle did.

And she was led to one of the most beautiful rooms she had ever seen. There was soft jazz music playing in the background, dim lighting, a roaring fire in a huge fireplace, colorful paintings around the walls, and… the flowers.

The room’s roof was covered by a canopy of branches and blossoms intertwined with white fairy lights. The pillars throughout the room were wrapped in vines, creating the effect of being in a cherry blossom vineyard. Villanelle assumed they weren’t real trees and the blossoms would create quite a mess, but real or not, they were stunning. And not to brag, but Villanelle was fluent in both French and Italian so she knew _Clos_ was the French word for ‘enclosed’, and _maggiore_ the Italian word for ‘greater’. They had it spot on.

She was looking in every direction as she followed the hostess, taking in the beautiful scenery. But then, as they approached the table closest to the fireplace, she saw _her._

Eve.

The brunette turned to her and smiled, standing up from her chair, revealing her dress. It was a black backless dress with criss-cross straps, wrapping around her neck. Her hair was in a high-bun, which Villanelle wasn’t too pleased about, but the dress hung to her waist so _perfectly_ and that was something Villanelle _was_ very pleased about. 

The hostess stepped aside and gestured toward the table, letting the blonde by, before she turned around back to the front of the restaurant. Villanelle sauntered up to Eve, looking her up and down. Eve was doing the same, but she was able to do it much more subtly than the blonde.

“You look ravishing,” The blonde whispered, pulling Eve for a kiss.

“You too, and how have I not seen you in this before?” She looked down again, studying Villanelle’s velvet dress and definitely _not_ looking at her chest.

“All you have to do is tell me to dress sexy, Eve.” They both sat down, facing each other. 

“Hmmm, duly noted.” Eve grinned, putting her hand out, palm-up, on the table for the blonde to take. She quickly did. 

Villanelle looked around the room again, still enraptured by the lights and the flowers, as she rubbed her thumb over Eve’s hand on the table.

“It’s so beautiful...” 

“It is,” Eve smiled, her eyes not moving from the blonde in front of her.

“And I’m the charmer?” Villanelle looked back at her, rolling her eyes, smirking.

Eve shrugged, still grinning.

“Je suis si heureuse d'être ici avec toi, mon amour,” Villanelle leaned forward on her elbows. Fuck, not the accents. Eve couldn’t take that right now. They were in public.

“Moi aussi.”

“Eve, you speak French and you didn’t tell me?” Villanelle sat back in faux-disappointment.

“I took a little in high school… and in college.” She shrugged. She liked learning languages but she’d never had time after University to continue studying them.

“Tu sei la cosa più bella che mi sia mai capitata.” Villanelle whispered, her hazel eyes piercing into Eve’s brown.

“But, I did not take Italian,” Being a surgeon in the UK, she was at least able to pick up the fact that Villanelle was speaking Italian. However, she’d have to try and remember what Villanelle said and look it up later.

“Mmm, va bene amore mio. Un giorno ti porto,” The blonde smirked, pulling Eve hand up to her lips and kissing her knuckles. She wasn’t kidding, she was going to take Eve to Italy one day.

“Drinks, ladies?” A waiter came up next to their table, speaking with a slight French accent.

“What would you like?” Eve turned from the waiter toward the blonde.

“Pourrions-nous obtenir une bouteille de Louis Roederer Brut Premier, s'il vous plaît?” Villanelle asked the waiter, in a perfect French accent.

“Oh uh oui, oui.” The waiter nodded and walked away, slightly taken aback by the beautiful woman speaking amazing French.

“God, you are so hot.” Eve breathed. She really loved accents. Don’t judge.

“Merci, mon amour, mais tu es la plus belle...” Villanelle rested her chin on her hand, taking her other hand away from Eve’s and pulling it below the table.

“How ‘bout we wait for that ‘till we get home, yeah?” Eve said, putting her hand on top of Villanelle’s as it reached the top of her thigh.

The blonde swears her heart skipped a beat when Eve said ‘home’. 

“Your champagne… are you two ready to order?” The waiter said, setting the bottle of champagne and two glasses in the middle of the table.

Neither of them had looked at the menu but they said yes anyway. They both looked down and picked the first thing they saw. Eve got the Coq Au Vin and Villanelle ordered the Pappardella pasta. The brunette took the champagne glass and popped it open, some bubbles spilling over the top and onto the tablecloth, getting a chuckle from Villanelle. Eve poured them both glasses, raising her own, her girlfriend doing the same. 

“To us,” 

“To us.”

They clinked glasses.

\--------------

“So, did you like working with Bill?” The brunette asked, finishing the last of her chicken.

“Eve, you can just ask if you think I’m going to go into general surgery.” She smirked into her glass.

“Are you?”

“No. I liked Bill a lot but it just wasn’t…”

“It.”

“Exactly.”

“I have something for you.” Eve pulled her purse from the side of her chair and opened it, fishing around for something.

“Oh, a gift? Pour moi?” Villanelle smiled, pointing at herself.

“Yes, for you,” The brunette bit her lip, “I hope you like it.” 

She stood up, walking to stand behind Villanelle.

On the way to the restaurant, Eve stopped at a fancy jewelry store. It may have cost half a month’s rent, but for Villanelle, it was worth it. She pushed the honey-blonde hair to the side, wrapping the 14k gold necklace around her neck. Villanelle’s breath hitched when her fingers ran over the _actual_ gold heart pendant as the brunette sat back down across the table. It was just like the one from the fun-fair that had rusted.

“Eve…” 

The heart was engraved with a …. a ‘V’. 

Villanelle’s heart melted. Eve understood how much that name meant to her. No one had gotten her such a meaningful gift. 

“You like it?” Eve breathed.

“I love it, Eve. So much. Thank you.” Villanelle bent over the table, Eve doing the same, their lips meeting in the middle.

\------------

“As much as I love this dress, it needs to go,” Villanelle whispered in Eve’s ear, “Now.”

They were back at Villanelle’s apartment, both surprised to have made it to the bed with their clothes on. The blonde practically pounced on Eve as soon as she heard the door close.

Eve understands what the blonde means so she turns, her back facing the other woman. She feels the zipper go down, slower than she’d like, but the dress finally puddles around her feet and she quickly kicks it away. Then she instantly feels lips trailing her neck, up to her jaw. She turns, meeting what usually are bright eyes, but are now very very dark.

Eve just raises her eyebrow, a suggestion of what Villanelle should do next.

The blonde bit her lip and does just what Eve did a second ago. She turned, feeling goosebumps form as the zipper slid down. Then the dress is gone. Quickly, Villanelle’s calves hit the side of her bed. Then Eve is straddling her. Then Eve is kissing her.

“Eve... your hair...” The blonde mumbled on her lips.

The brunette smirks, using her free hand to pull the tie out of her hair, letting it all flow down.

“Sensationnel,” Villanelle said, in a french accent, and pushed her hands into the untamed hair, pulling her closer until their mouths met again. Eve felt the pressure build between her thighs so she nipped at the blonde’s bottom lip, enticing what she considered a moan. This encouraged her enough to push Villanelle fully onto the bed. Eve moves lower, taking her time, making the blonde wait. When she gets an opportunity to tease, you know she’s going to take it.

Villanelle spreads her legs wider, and Eve looks at her, her kiss-swollen lips and blown pupils, as she puts her tongue where Villanelle needed her. The blonde’s hips buck up involuntarily. Her hands are still in Eve’s dark curls, scraping at her scalp.

“Eve,” she breathes, “Please– ”

Eve puts her mouth on _the_ bundle of nerves and sucks, nibbles, and licks. Anything. Everything. Villanelle's hips push up closer and closer into her mouth. She's not sure which one of them is moaning. Maybe both of them. Honestly, it’s probably both of them. She sucks until her chin is dripping, and Villanelle's thighs tighten around her shoulders and the blonde’s back is arching off the bed, her head back on the sheets, and her mouth open in a silent moan. She's panting, her breathing uneven, her ab muscles flexing. 

“Eve,” The blonde says eventually, “Eve.”

Villanelle grabs her arms and pulls Eve up onto her, kissing her deeply. 

“My turn.”

\-------------

They wake up entangled in each other’s arms. It’s happened so frequently, it feels normal. Like this how they _should_ wake up every day. Eve, surprisingly, wakes up first, her head on Villanelle’s chest. She moves her head up slightly, looking at Villanelle, sleeping. She was wearing _the_ necklace. Her hair was everywhere and her lips were parted just a little. She was gorgeous.

“I can feel your eyes on me.” The blonde says, her eyes still closed.

“Sorry,” Eve looks away, blushing.

“It’s okay, I like it,” Villanelle’s eyes opening, her finger pushing Eve’s chin upwards so they’re looking at each other, “You’re so beautiful in the morning, Eve.”

As if Eve wasn’t already blushing, she definitely was now. Her hair was an absolute mess, she still had her makeup on, and she hadn’t had a shower last night. Still, Villanelle thought she was beautiful.

“You know what today is?” Eve asked, tilting her head.

“Uhhh... Saturday?” 

“Exactly, which means we can sleep in.” She leans in, capturing the blonde’s lips with her own.

“Or... we could go get breakfast? I really worked up an appetite last night.” Villanelle smirks as Eve slumps back onto the pillows.

“Fine, just… let me shower first.” The brunette says, turning to get off the bed, her eyes meeting the dresses rumpled on the floor.

“Can I…” She turns to Villanelle who is _still_ fucking smirking and looking her up and down. Does she ever stop?

“Borrow clothes? Why, yes of course.” She says, jumping up, naked, to the dresser to look through her clothes.

Eve just rolls her eyes before grabbing her phone, walking into the bathroom, and closing the door.

\-------------

Villanelle easily picked clothes for Eve. 

She knows what _she_ likes, and… she knows what Eve likes. They are not the same, so she compromised. Mom jeans and a v-neck t-shirt. Eve will appreciate the comfort of non-skinny jeans. She might not appreciate how low the t-shirt goes, but Villanelle will. Compromise.

After the blonde picked out the clothes for Eve and changed into her own, she sat on the bed waiting for the brunette. She didn’t hear the water running anymore. The other woman had been in there for a long time. When she walked up the door, she heard her voice, mumbling something frantically. She must be on the phone?

Villanelle was sitting on the side of the bed, her legs swaying back and forth, when Eve came out, her eyes red with tears coming down her face.

“Eve, what’s wrong?” The blonde jumped up toward the other woman, putting her arms on the side of her arms.

“My mom… she-... she’s coming to London….she says she has a- … a brain tumor.” Eve breaks out into a sob, falling into Villanelle’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:  
> Je suis si heureuse d'être ici avec toi, mon amour --- I'm so happy to be here with you, my love
> 
> Moi aussi --- Me too
> 
> Tu sei la cosa più bella che mi sia mai capitata --- You are the best thing that ever happened to me
> 
> Mmm, va bene amore mio. Un giorno ti porto—-Mmm, alright my love. I'll take you one day
> 
> Pourrions-nous obtenir une bouteille de Louis Roederer Brut Premier, s'il vous plaît? ---Could we get a bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Premier, please?
> 
> Merci, mon amour, mais tu es la plus belle... --- Thank you, my love, but you are the most beautiful...
> 
> Sensationnel --- Sensational
> 
> can't believe this story is like kinda close to over omg  
> also, sorry for the kinda cliffhanger lol, new chapter on wednesday!
> 
> love u all
> 
> kira x


	23. Imaging & I Love You's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle gets assigned to a new specialty and Eve confesses something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> softness sprinkled with angst? kinda idk enjoy

**Chapter 23**

Eve cried for a while. Eventually, she settled down and Villanelle led her back on the bed. She ran to get the woman some water, to rehydrate, and coffee, because she knew Eve.

“Here.” Villanelle handed her the water first, deeming it more important, and set the coffee mug on the nightstand.

“Thanks.” The consultant whispered, sipping it, as the blonde sat on the bed next to her.

Villanelle had no idea what to do. Did she start a conversation? Did she let Eve start it? Should she just sit there and wait? She decided to not say anything but just start rubbing Eve’s back. A gesture of reassurance. Eve could talk to her if she wanted to.

“I just... I don’t know what to do.” The brunette mumbled, setting the glass of water on her lap.

Villanelle simply nodded, still rubbing patterns on her back. She could tell Eve would keep going.

“What if she-” Eve’s voice broke and she covered her mouth, trying to stop another sob.

“Eve, don’t go there.” The blonde pulled Eve’s hair around her ear, another gesture of reassurance. 

“I can’t lose her too. I don’t know what I’ll do.” The brunette finally turned to the registrar, their eyes meeting.

“I know, baby. But I’m here for you. Okay?” Villanelle cupped her cheek, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Another gesture of reassurance, it was all the blonde could do. She didn’t know what was going on, all she knew is that she needed to make the brunette feel better.

Eve fell into her shoulder, mumbling an ‘okay’.

\-----------

The brunette fell asleep. Crying is tiring. She was curled up on Villanelle’s bed, blankets up to her chin, snoring softly. The blonde was just happy she was feeling a little better. She slipped out of the apartment, running to the bakery across the street, and grabbing them both some breakfast. Not only was she hungry, but she knew Eve would need some comfort food.

An almond croissant, to be specific.

When she got back, the brunette was still asleep. Villanelle set the pastries on the countertop and sat on the couch with her laptop, holding a hot tea. She checked Twitter, Instagram, the usual. Then, she looked at her email. She had a few unread messages, mostly spam or clothing sales, but then...

  * _Unread Message: From Carolyn Martens_



Hello Ms. Astankova,

I just wanted to inform you that you will be on Neurosurgery with Martin next week. Have a good weekend.

Dr. Carolyn Martens

Oh shit. Neuro. Brain tumor. Eve’s Mom. So many things went through Villanelle’s mind that she didn’t even hear Eve walk out of the bedroom.

“Hi.” Eve said, sitting down next to her, the blonde shutting her laptop and turning to her.

“Hi, feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.” The brunette pecked Villanelle’s lips.

“I got you a croissant, I’ll get it for you.” The blonde quickly stood up, setting her computer on the coffee table.

Eve was a bit curious as to why Villanelle shut the laptop so quickly but she decided it was none of her business. She had bigger issues. Like her mom. She had no idea what she was going to do. Her mom didn’t even sound worried. She just said she was leaving for London and she had a brain tumor. As if either of those pieces of information weren’t important. When Eve quickly asked what type of tumor, how serious was it, if she was seeing a doctor, her mother just said they’d talk when she landed. The brunette knew better than to protest. 

Villanelle sat back down, handing Eve a plate with an almond croissant on it. 

“How did you know these were my favorite?” The brunette quickly bit into the pastry.

“I may have called Elena on my way to the bakery.” The blonde winked, putting her arm around her girlfriend.

“You’re too good to me,” Eve mumbled, croissant in her mouth. 

She was thinking that but I guess her brain wasn’t fast enough to stop her from saying it. She did think Villanelle was too good for her. Getting her a pastry (her favorite one), holding her while she cried (she’s done that multiple times), and asking her friends what she liked so she could surprise her. Eve’s never had anyone who cared about her  _ this  _ much. Niko barely ever talked to Elena, let alone asked her what Eve liked.

“You deserve it.” The blonde mumbled into Eve’s hair, kissing her head. 

Should she tell her she was on Neuro? That she would be on the specialty that would be taking care of her mom? The blonde assumed Eve’s mom would be coming to St. Thomas. Eve hadn’t said any details, but Villanelle could guess. The registrar decided against saying anything for now. The brunette was feeling better, she was eating a croissant, cuddled up to the blonde’s side. She’d wait for a better moment.

\-----------

When Monday arrived, Eve didn’t have any tears left. She spent the weekend at Villanelle’s, crying her heart out. The blonde was with her through all of it. Making her dinner, cuddling with her, watching movies with her, holding her when she cried. 

It wasn’t on either of their minds but on Friday, they’d agreed to start telling people about their relationship. Obviously, that didn’t happen but Villanelle didn’t even care. She so much rather be here, comforting her, being with her. She knew Eve wanted that too. And Eve was all she cared about. She’d do anything for her so she wasn’t concerned about anyone else.

Eve really didn’t know how to react to her mom’s news. She had lost her dad so suddenly, and now there was a chance she could lose her mom. She tried to call her mom whenever she could. Lately, the calls had gotten less frequent, but that didn’t mean she cared about her any less. Villanelle sensed this. She could feel how much Eve cared about her mom since she talked about her quite often. She talked about what her and her father had taught her growing up and how their influence helped her throughout childhood and into adulthood. When Eve’s father died, the brunette found it hard to continue to be around everything that reminded her of him. Still, the brunette did whatever she could for her mom. Sending her gifts, giving her updates on her life, helping sort out her finances. Eve knew her mom could do them by herself, but she wanted to help.

Villanelle tried to empathize as much as she could. She’d never had this kind of connection with her parents, but she was starting to understand what love was. A completely different type of love, but love nonetheless. Putting someone else’s feelings and needs above your own, the commitment to helping and caring for another person, the appreciation of the other person’s traits, whether you like them or not. That’s what Villanelle was feeling. She assumed that it was similar for parents, although more maternal or paternal. 

The blonde didn’t know how her girlfriend would react when she told her she would be on Neuro that week. Would she be happy that her girlfriend could be taking care of her mother? Would she be scared that her girlfriend was not only meeting her mother but that she was her patient? Villanelle really had no idea. But, she knew that she couldn’t keep it a secret. Obviously, it wouldn’t stay a secret since they were in the same hospital, but, the blonde knew  _ she _ should be the one to tell her. She didn’t want to keep something from the brunette and have it blow up in her face like last time.

They were walking across Westminster bridge when Villanelle finally got the courage. Eve had been relatively silent this morning, not having much to say. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, though. It was nice. Peaceful.

“Eve, I need to tell you something.” Villanelle stopped walking, continuing to hold the brunette’s hand, as she turned toward her.

“What is it, babe?” Eve murmured, loving the way ‘babe’ felt so natural. 

“I’m on Neuro for the week. Which means I might see your mom, right?” The blonde was finding it hard to make eye contact. 

Eve hadn’t said much about what was happening. To be honest,  _ she _ barely knew what was going on. She received a text from her mom the day before saying she was arriving this week for a consult at St. Thomas. She told Villanelle that but that was the only information the blonde had gotten since Eve didn’t have any more to give.

“Yeah,” The brunette looked down in thought before looking back up, “I guess you will.” She smiled. That smile made Villanelle feel a weight lift off her shoulders.

“You are… okay with that?” 

“More than okay. Actually… it makes me feel a lot better.” Eve grabbed Villanelle’s other hand.

“Oh, good. I just didn’t know if it would make you uncomfortable or upset since it’s--”

“V, it makes me very happy you will be the one taking care of my mom. I trust you. Completely. Okay?” Eve pulled her in for a kiss. She was  _ sure.  _ Having someone she knew and loved taking care of her mom made her feel so much better. Villanelle could only smile at her as her heart melted. 

This was love, right?

\----------

As you know, all Villanelle wanted to do was make Eve feel better. They found out her mom was arriving on Wednesday and the brunette was, more or less, freaking out. So for the next few days, the blonde was doing what she could. She brought Eve lunch, made her coffee, and even offered Eve to stay at her apartment for the next few days. She didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It was mostly for Eve’s convenience. Villanelle’s place was closer to the hospital. 

But, the brunette was quite taken aback at the suggestion. She accepted, mostly because she knew it would make things a lot easier for her, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like  _ living _ with Villanelle. She had spent countless nights over, but that’s all it was. Sleeping over. Now it was… staying over? She didn’t even know the difference. But she realized, she liked it. She liked the feeling of being around the blonde as much as possible. So, she accepted. And yes, her place was  _ much _ closer to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Villanelle was enjoying Neuro a lot. She didn’t really like Martin, though. She thought he was very pretentious and self-absorbed and other than in the OR, she barely saw him, which she found very odd. Regardless, she was fixated when studying people’s brains. The way everything connected together, forming a person with unique traits and qualities. It was all because of the brain.

She’d finished a surgery that morning, but she was still fascinated by the patient’s scans. She was in the imaging room studying the CT scans she’d taken earlier since she didn’t know where Martin was but he said he had somewhere else to be. She was really starting to dislike that man, but she appreciated the quiet. She’d much rather do the work herself than solely leave it up to Martin. No offense.

“Hey,” Eve knocked on the open door, the blonde turning around, smiling.

“Hi,” The brunette moved up to stand next to the registrar, also enraptured by the scans.

“How’s neuro going?” Villanelle mirrored Eve and looked back at the scans.

“Well, I’ve barely seen Martin, so pretty good.”

“It’s weird, I barely see him either. I wonder what he does...” Eve took a step closer, examining the main scan Villanelle was looking at.

“What is that...” The brunette pointed to a part of the scan, turning her head to Villanelle. She knew the basics of neuro, but sometimes, she really had no idea what went on in other specialties. She knew it was an abnormality in the brain, but she was hoping the blonde would help her out.

Villanelle came up behind Eve, resting her chin on the consultant’s left shoulder, her eyes not leaving the CT scan.

“A ruptured aneurysm.” The way Villanelle’s accent curled around the words made Eve’s legs weak.

“Wow, it’s so… big.” The blonde’s arms wrapped around the shorter woman’s waist and Eve leaned back into her.

“Yeah, I clipped it this morning, took 4 hours,” Villanelle said nonchalantly.

“What? You did the craniotomy and the clipping?” Eve swiftly turned around to face the registrar, the blonde’s arms still not leaving her waist. 

“Martin was there. He watched mostly, though.” She shrugged, still looking up at the scans.

Eve was amazed at this woman. Despite her little knowledge of neurosurgery, she knew that was still a complicated procedure. And Villanelle had done it, with ease. This woman will always surprise her.

“What do you like about it? Neuro?” Eve asked, not facing the scans but staring up at hazel eyes.

“I... I like how everything is connected. How every neuron makes up a part of you. And the brain it’s... it’s mesmerizing, it’s beautiful and intricate. Every part of it… is part of you. One part of your brain is responsible for your memories, another for your feelings, another for your decisions. And I can see them, all of them, when I’m in the OR. It makes me feel powerful. It feels so…” Villanelle’s eyes never left the CT scan.

“It feels so right.” Eve’s eyes never left the registrar, her arms wrapped around her neck. 

The way the blonde’s eyes sparkled with the reflection of the scan, the wrinkles next to her mouth as she smiled, and the raising of her eyebrows as she talked… Eve knew this was her specialty.

“Yeah. It does.” The blonde finally looked down at brown eyes. 

“Well, I guess I’m the one who has to break it to you, but I think you found your specialty, baby.” She rubbed her thumb across Villanelle’s cheek subconsciously. 

The blonde didn’t even consider Neuro being her specialty, she was way too caught up in Eve’s mom and her own surgeries to think about it. But the brunette was right… she felt  _ it.  _

“I guess I have,” She whispered, her eyes flickering down to Eve’s lips.

“I love you.” The consultant blurted out, Villanelle’s eyes widening in response.

She didn’t know why she said it then. But she knew that she felt it and this seemed like the right time. Was there even a ‘right’ time? Her heart was racing as she waited for Villanelle’s response. But, the blonde wasn’t sure if she heard her right. She was replaying Eve’s voice over and over again to make sure. Did she mean it? Would she regret it later? Did the blonde feel the same? Would  _ she  _ regret it if she said it now? No, she knew how she felt and she knew it wasn’t going to change.

“I love you too, Eve.” Villanelle softened and leaned in, pressing her lips to the brunette’s.

Both of them were  _ sure. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe how far this story has come, 7 more chapters??  
> also, there will continue to be somewhat of a plot i promise but the last few chapters are literally just fluff, so just be prepared for that  
> talk to me on twitter  
> thx for ur continued love on this story
> 
> kira x


	24. Omma!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve's mom arrives in London and meets Villanelle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all ur comments make me so happy. thank you for loving this story and sticking with me <3  
> 6 more chaps to go!

**Chapter 24**

Monday finally ended. And Eve was stressed, to say the least. Her mother was coming in a few days so she’d been keeping herself as busy as possible, an attempt to preoccupy her mind and  _ not _ think about her mom. And on top of that, there was Villanelle. Villanelle who she said she loved today. Villanelle who said she loved her today. Eve, despite everything, was over the moon. She was in love with the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.

They saw each other from down the hall, both of them heading to the Lounge. They smiled at each other and walked to meet each other in the middle.

“Hi,” The brunette said, walking up to the blonde.

“Hi, how are you?” Villanelle replied, smiling back at her.   
  
  


“Better now.” Eve wrapped her arms around her waist, standing up tall to kiss her, without even thinking about what she was doing.

“We haven’t told people...” Villanelle moved her head back. She would kiss the brunette right then and there, but she didn’t want either of them to regret it later.

“Do you want to now?” Eve retorted, looking at the Lounge door, where they knew the other registrars were.

“Wait... really?” She didn’t want to push it. With everything happening with Eve’s mom, Villanelle wasn’t going to rush her to tell anyone. There were bigger concerns and she understood that.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” The consultant smiled, finally pecking Villanelle’s lips, with the blonde grinning in response. She pulled her girlfriend by the arm into the Lounge where, as they suspected, Hugo, Kenny, and Elena were all sitting on the couch.

“Guys, we have an announcement.” Villanelle puffed her chest, holding Eve’s hand for all to see.

“Okay…” Hugo looked at Elena and Kenny, very confused.

“Eve and I,” The blonde couldn’t hide her smirk as she said this, “are no longer friends.”

“Villanelle! That is the worst way to tell people we’re dating!” Eve hit her arm, also unable to hide her smile. 

“Wait... that was a secret? Elena told us a few--” Hugo started but Elena held her hand over his mouth, shutting him up.

“We are very happy for you guys.” She said, trying to pretend she didn’t know all along. 

“You guys knew?” Eve glanced at the boys.

“Elena told us the night you went to Bear’s ‘cause she asked us to bring Villanelle so you guys could--” Kenny started.

“Kenny, shush!” Elena nudged him, hard.

“I knew it!” The blonde shook her head, triumphantly.

“I didn’t know! Elena!” Eve half-yelled, throwing a hand up and down.

“It was to help you, babe! I knew if I could get you two in a room together, you would sort everything out, and I was obviously right so...” She shrugged, smirking.

Eve didn’t want to argue. She  _ had _ been right so, what would be the point? Her friends were happy about her relationship and that was all she wanted.

“Thank you.” The consultant said, smiling at her friend and then looking back at her girlfriend.

“How did it happen? Elena kinda skipped over that part.” Hugo gave Elena a side-eye, feeling a bit out of the loop even though it wasn’t his business. 

“She seduced me.” Villanelle and Eve said in unison, instantly looking back at each other.

“Oh, come on.” The brunette rolled her eyes.

“Okay fine, but can you blame me?” The blonde shrugged, gesturing to Eve and looking to the rest of the registrars. 

\------------

Eventually, it got to Wednesday. Eve told Elena she’d be in late, as she was already on her way to Heathrow. She got there, sitting in her (rental) car, and waited for her mom. She saw dozens of people walking out the sliding doors, reconnecting with their families, as if they were celebrating something. As happy as she was to see her mother again, she’d wished it was under better circumstances. Pulling her out of her thoughts, she saw the older Korean woman walk out of the door, holding her suitcases behind her.

“Omma!” Eve yelled, getting out of the car and running up to her.

“Evie.” They hugged, the younger woman squeezing her tightly.

“How are you, my love?” The older woman said, holding her daughter’s shoulders.

“I’m good. I’ve missed you, Omma.” 

“I’ve missed you too, darling.” She ran her thumb over the younger woman’s cheek.

\-----------

They were in the car on the way home when Eve needed to say something.

“Omma, we need to talk about it.”

“Baby, I’m fine, do not worry about me.”

“You said you had a brain tumor, of course I’m going to worry about you!” She huffed, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

“Evie, I will be okay. I am going to your hospital! The best of the best.” 

She sighed. Eve knew she wasn’t going to get answers until they got to the hospital.

\--------------

“Do you want me to take some of your bags to…” Eve couldn’t really say ‘home’ since she was technically staying at Villanelle’s, but she offered anyway.

“No, I need them all. Can you bring them, please?” Eve’s mother turned and started walking into the hospital, leaving her daughter to carry all her bags.

They signed in, got Ms. Park into her room, and Eve set her bags on the chairs beside her bed. The sight itself was too much for her. Her mother in a hospital. In a hospital bed.  _ What the hell was going on? _ And she seemed completely fine. She seemed… normal. She was unpacking clothes, hanging them up in the small closet, as if she was in a hotel. Again,  _ what the hell was going on?  _ As if things weren’t weird enough, Villanelle walked in. More like struts in, but you get the idea. Villanelle. Her girlfriend and now her mom’s doctor. Fuck.  _ What the hell was going on? _

“Morning, Ms. Park! I’m Dr. Astankova.” She smiled, looking at Eve briefly, before holding her hand out to the older woman.

“You are a doctor? No, that can’t be right, you look so young!” The older woman laughs as she shakes the registrar’s hand, the blonde smiling back at her.

“I’m a registrar, I will be helping the Neuro consultant. Speaking of, do you mind if we get some scans of your brain later today? I’ll let you and Eve settle in and then I can come grab you?” She asked, looking between Ms. Park and her girlfriend.

“Yes, good with me,” She sat on the bed and gestured to her daughter, “Do you know my Eve? She works here too.” 

“I do know her, she’d kind of a legend around here.” Villanelle winked at Eve, the brunette immediately blushing, before the blonde turned toward the door.

“I’ll see you later Ms. Park, Eve.” She said, swiftly leaving the room, with Eve still frozen on the other side of the room.

“She seems so nice. Are you two friends?” The older woman continued to take out clothes from her bags.

“Uh, yeah something like that.” She mumbled, starting to help with her mother’s clothes.

\-------------

Eve went back to work while her mother got her scans. She told Elena what was going on and she understood immediately. Actually, she pushed the consultant to take a few days off so she could be with her mother and Eve wanted to, of course, but she hated feeling useless. She would just be sitting here, hours on end, learning more about her mother’s condition, and then waiting during her potential surgery. She’d rather focus on the patients that she could help.

She finished early for the day, knowing her mother would be returning from her MRI scan by now. She left the Trauma Center, changed out of her scrubs, and headed toward her mother’s room. Eve didn’t think she’d ever get used to the fact  _ her  _ mother was in one of these rooms. When she turned the corner, heading for the consulting room, she saw Villanelle wheeling her mother into the room. 

“Mid-eul su eobs-eo! Eomeo!” She heard her mother laugh, out loud, hard. And in Korean? Why was she speaking Korean to Villanelle? Unless…

“Naneun geugeos-eul mid-eul su eobs-eossda!” Oh my god. Of course, Villanelle spoke Korean. Why wouldn’t she? 

Eve finally caught up to them, following them into the room.

“Eve! Hi!” The blonde smiled at her, simultaneously helping the older woman onto her bed.

“Hi-”

“Evie! Villanelle was just telling me the funniest story! Did you know she could speak Korean?” The older woman was holding her chest, still trying to contain her laughter. 

First name basis, already? How was Villanelle so charming? Was she trying to impress her? Eve just shook her head. She was unable to form a sentence but she also did not know Villanelle spoke Korean.

“I’m going to go look at your scans, okay? Then I’ll be back to talk to you guys about them,” The blonde, holding a file, looked at the older woman then to Eve before she walked out of the room.

The brunette followed, saying something of a ‘BRB’ to her mother.

“V! Villanelle!” She yelled after her, rushing to catch up to her as the blonde headed into the imaging room.

“Hi, Eve.” Villanelle basically purred, stepping into the room, as she turned around to face the shorter brunette.

“What is- is she- will she be okay?” Her voice broke, her eyes still fixed on Villanelle’s hazel eyes. 

“I’m going to look at her scans now, okay? You’re welcome to stay.” The blonde closed the door behind Eve, and gestured for her to walk further into the room.

“Are you sure? Is that allowed?” She questioned, walking toward the middle of the room.

“You’re the consultant here,  _ Evie _ ,” Villanelle emphasized the nickname that she heard her mother say. Great, Eve knew she was going to continue using that one.

“I guess you’re right.” 

“Here.” The registrar took three scans from a file she’d been holding and set them against the white light, the brains illuminating.

She stood for a while, examining every single one. Eve was silent too because, to be honest, she didn’t really know what the scans meant. She looked at them, analyzing what she could, but not coming up with any concrete conclusions. She then turned to watch Villanelle. She saw her hazel eyes moving back and forth between the scans, her eyebrows furrowing every so often, and at one point she even got out a notebook, scribbling down notes.

“Are you okay? Is this too much?” Eve was pulled out of her thoughts when Villanelle asked her these questions. She didn’t even see her turn around and look at her.

“No, no I mean- yes, kinda, but I’d rather be here than sitting around and doing nothing.” She shrugged, making eye contact with the blonde, who nodded as she spoke.

“Do you want me to tell you... what I found?” Villanelle asked, tentatively, tilting her head.

“Yeah. Dumb it down for me, okay?” The brunette let a breath out, moving next to her girlfriend to face the scans with her. 

“Okay,  _ Evie,  _ well, it’s a primary brain tumor. So it hasn’t spread anywhere,” She took Eve’s hand and pulled it up to point at a white spot in the scan, “The good news, though, is that I think it’s a benign meningioma, but I’ll take a biopsy to be sure. If it is, it’ll be very easy to take out,” She was now holding both of the consultant’s hands, and turned to her, “She’s going to be okay, Eve. I promise.”

The brunette really thought she was going to cry. The news that her mom’s tumor was benign, it would be easy to take out, and Villanelle telling her it was all going to be okay. She couldn’t believe it. 

“Can you do it?” She blurted out. She was making a habit of not thinking before she spoke.

“Of course I  _ can.  _ But, Martin will be just fine. As much as we may not like him, he is a--”

“No, I know he can. I mean, I _want_ _you_ to do it.” 

“Eve... I'm a registrar, I can’t just do a big complicated brain surgery like that,” She snapped her fingers in the air, making a gesture out of it, laughing slightly.

“That’s not the Villanelle I know. You are so confident and  _ sure.  _ You know you can do this. You don’t need anyone else,” Eve cupped her face, “You are so talented and I’m so lucky to have you because… because you’re you. And I love you.” Eve pulled the blonde down into a kiss.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to end up hating me or regretting--” The brunette cut her off with another kiss.

“I’ll never hate you, okay?” She said, millimeters away.

“Okay.” 

A moment passed, the two women just staring into each other’s eyes.

“I love you too, Eve.” 

\--------------

Villanelle and Eve made their way back to Ms. Park’s room. The registrar explained that she needed to take a biopsy of the tumor as soon as possible to find out its level and type, allowing her and Martin to know how to proceed. Eve’s mother obviously agreed, trying to understand the medical jargon as best as she could. 

“I’ll be right back to prep you for biopsy,” The blonde said, walking out of the room, Eve following.

“Hey,” She grabbed the registrar’s shoulder, turning her around, “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Villanelle smirked. 

The consultant wrapped arms around her neck, pulling her in for a quick kiss. They hadn’t told the entire hospital yet, but she honestly didn’t care who saw them. She also just wanted to kiss her girlfriend.

“I know,” She sighed, “but thank you.” The blonde smiled.

“I’ll see you after. I won’t be long, ma chérie.” Villanelle left a peck on the brunette’s cheek before turning around. Ugh, those damn accents. When Eve turned around, she saw her mom looking at her through the window of her room, smirking at her.

Oh god.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok there's like two lines of Korean in here and i am SO SORRY if i messed it up, plz let me know if i need change anything.
> 
> translation:  
> Mid-eul su eobs-eo! Eomeo! -- I cannot believe it! Oh my god!  
> Naneun geugeos-eul mid-eul su eobs-eossda! -- I couldn't believe what the problem was!
> 
> & yes i made Park Eve's maiden name because i am not creative, sorry i couldn’t think of anything else :0  
> also creds to @incorrectvillanevequotes on tumblr for [ “we’re no longer friends” ](https://incorrectvillanevequotes.tumblr.com/post/619927090164285441) scene. i saw it and i knew i needed to write it lol 
> 
> talk to me on [twitter](%E2%80%9Cwww.twitter.com/villanellesgun%E2%80%9D)
> 
> kira x


	25. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve & Villanelle ft. Carolyn, Kenny, Elena, and Omma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if these updates are a lil late, life is starting to get busy.  
> anyway, here u are, enjoy lovelies!

**Chapter 25**

Villanelle called Martin, informing him about the biopsy. He said she could do it by herself since it wasn’t very complicated. It was neurosurgery, so it actually was complicated, but it’s all relative… I guess? Anyway, the biopsy went well, only taking about an hour-and-a-half and it’d be about another hour to get the results, so Villanelle went down to tell Eve that it went well, since Ms. Park was still asleep.

“Eve?” The blonde went into the Lounge, assuming her girlfriend would be in there. 

Except, she wasn’t. She was in Carolyn’s office. Apparently, some nurses had seen them kiss before Villanelle went into surgery. The gossip of a consultant and a registrar kissing, two women nonetheless, spread like wildfire. Carolyn somehow knew everything that went on in the hospital, so she called Eve to her office when she found out.

“Carolyn, our relationship is quite new so we didn’t feel we needed to tell you or the administration yet.”

“You see Eve, a relationship between any coworkers in this hospital, especially those at different levels, needs to be mentioned as soon as they start.” She looked at Eve, holding her hands out in front of her. This time she  _ did _ offer the brunette a seat.

Then they heard a knock.

“Uhm, hello?” Villanelle walked in. The brunette had sent her text when she was called up, knowing the blonde wouldn’t see it until she was done with the biopsy.

“Ms. Astankova, please sit.” Carolyn gestured to the second seat in front of her desk, next to Eve. 

Villanelle sat down, cautiously, looking between her girlfriend and her boss.

“What is this about?”

“A nurse saw us,” Eve gestured between the two of them, “before you went to do the biopsy.”

“Oh.” The blonde’s face went flat.

“You see how this causes problems, yes?” Carolyn asked the two of them. 

“Not really. We are both very professional and we haven’t let this,” It was Villanelle’s turn to gesture between them, “affect our jobs in any way.”

“Yes, exactly.” Eve nodded quickly, looking back to Carolyn.

“Hmm, I see.” She looked down, seemingly unimpressed.

“It must stay this way, do you understand? If I hear of any unprofessionalism between the two of you, there  _ will _ be consequences.”

Villanelle and Eve nodded at her as if they were children being scolded by their parents. 

“And I know you, Ms. Astankova, performed Ms. Park’s biopsy and are performing her surgery? Yes?” How did Carolyn know  _ everything? _

“Uhm yes, we’re still waiting on biopsy’s results but they should be ready soon.” The blonde swallowed hard, not wanting to be taken away from Eve’s mother and her case.

“I see and while it is... unconventional, I will allow you to continue to treat her since you have already become  _ acquainted _ .” She gave a look at Eve and then looked back at the blonde.

“Right, well, if that’s all.” Carolyn put on her glasses, shuffling around her paperwork.

Villanelle and Eve both knew this was the queue for them to go. They stood up and left, getting into the elevator as quickly as possible. The brunette sighed loudly when the elevator doors closed, letting out all the air she must’ve been holding in. Villanelle pressed floors 4 and 6. Level 4 was where Eve’s mom was and level 6 was where the biopsy results should be.

“I’ll go get the results and meet you back in your mom’s room?” 

Eve didn’t give her an answer. She just stepped to her, cupping her cheeks, and connected their lips. She felt a sigh come from Villanelle at the contact. The brunette couldn’t believe it. Yes, Carolyn had  _ technically _ threatened them, but they knew they would never put either of their jobs in jeopardy. For once, the consultant knew her job wouldn’t get in the way of a relationship. 

It was unspoken between the two, but it was a given. Their jobs were not only important to themselves, but to those that they helped. They would never let it affect their relationship or vice versa. Villanelle made that clear in Carolyn’s office. So, Eve was happy and finally, she wasn’t scared.

“Okay, see you in a few.” The brunette whispered as the elevators opened to reveal floor 6.

Villanelle kept her mouth slightly opened, due to the spontaneity of the kiss, as she stepped out and watched the door close. Then, she got the biopsy results.

\------------

“So as I suspected, your tumor is a meningioma and is benign so it’ll be very easy for me to take out during surgery. The recovery won’t be too long either. But I’ll talk to you guys more about that closer to the surgery.” Villanelle told both Eve and her mother, proudly.

Eve jumped up and down, giddy like a child.

“This is such great news, Omma!” She said, leaning into her mother.

“Yes, such wonderful news from such a wonderful doctor.” The older woman winked.

\------------

_ 10 minutes earlier _

As Villanelle was getting the results, Eve went down to see her mother, who was now awake. And guess what? She remembered seeing Villanelle and her daughter kiss before the surgery. Great. Now, Eve couldn’t avoid the topic.

“So, are you going to tell me about her?” The woman said as her daughter sat down on the chair next to the bed.

“It’s… it’s new, Omma. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want it affecting how you felt about your surgery. Villanelle is an amazing surgeon so you shouldn’t--”

“Evie, I am not worried! I love Villanelle! She is so sweet and funny and she knows Korean! Niko had none of those things. He was not the one for you,” She put her thumb on her daughter’s cheek and the younger woman couldn’t help but lean into the touch, “All I want is for you to find someone that makes you happy, my baby.” 

“She makes me really happy, Omma. I feel… so lucky.” She couldn’t help but smile at just the thought of the blonde.

“Then I am happy for you, my beautiful girl. When this is all over, I want to go to dinner with you two. I want to know more about the woman making my daughter so happy.” 

“That can be arranged, Omma. I love you.”

“I love you too, my girl.”

\-------------

“She knows, V.” Eve said, looking back at the blonde, who was very confused by the older woman’s comment.

“Oh…. oh! I see. Well, Ms. Park, I just want to say my relationship with your daughter will not affect our doctor-patient relationship,” The blonde walked closer to the two women, “I will be completely professional so please do not worry about--”

“Come here, Villanelle! I want to hug my daughter’s girlfriend!” The older woman held both arms out.

Villanelle smiled so much her eyes wrinkled as she basically ran to hug the older woman.

\--------------

They scheduled the surgery to be on Friday. It was quick, yes, but Ms. Park said she wanted it done as soon as possible and Villanelle complied. She informed Martin of everything, over the phone.

“I scheduled the surgery for Friday at 12.” She said, phone to her ear, writing down everything on Ms. Park’s file as she spoke.

“Right, sounds good.” He replied. 

“Would it be alright if I… lead the surgery? I know a registrar usually wouldn’t but…” Villanelle had to admit she was nervous. Doing surgery, mostly on her own, was stressful. Not to mention it would be her girlfriend’s mother. But, Eve did say she wanted her to do it so the blonde needed to ask Martin.

“I don’t see why not. I’ll supervise of course, but I think it’ll be good practice if you want to go into Neuro. Is that what you’re thinking?” Martin answered and the blonde sighed in relief at his response.

“Yeah, it is.” She smiled, finishing her notes, thinking about how excited she was to have finally found her specialty. She didn’t see this day coming.

“Well, alright then. It’s settled. I’m on a business trip at the minute, but I’ll see you Friday.” He hung up. Oh, so he was on a business trip. That made more sense. Martin always seemed too relaxed for a neurosurgeon, and Villanelle found it calming but occasionally alarming.

The blonde was outside Ms. Park’s room as she was writing notes on her other patients. Yes, she did have other patients. None as important, though. 

She turned to see Eve and her mom deep in conversation. Both of them laughed at whatever the other one said. In moments like these, the blonde usually found herself jealous. She would see a parent and child have such a beautiful relationship and crave it. She was always upset she never got to have that. But, she felt neither upset nor jealous as she watched Eve and her mother. She felt lucky. And at peace. It’s as if she found what she had been missing all her life… she found a family.

\-------------

It was getting late, so Eve left her mom to sleep for the night. She was leaving the room when she saw Villanelle outside, closing what she assumed to be her mother’s file.

“So, Friday?” The brunette said, regretting it. How lame. How was she  _ still _ nervous around the blonde?

“Friday.” The registrar confirmed, pushing herself off the desk she was leaning on and started to walk down the hall, Eve following. 

They walked in silence for a minute or two, neither of them having anything to say.

“I don’t want you to be worried, Eve. I can handle this.” Villanelle said, looking at her as they continued toward the elevator.

“I know, babe. It’s just a lot to process. With losing my dad, and even though I know the tumor is low-risk but even just the chance…”

“She means a lot to you.” Villanelle nodded. 

“Yeah, I guess she’s really all I have left of my dad. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense but as a kid, they were like two peas in a pod. They were great parents who did everything they could for me. They were loving and--” Eve stopped herself, realizing how the blonde didn’t have any of those things. 

The brunette’s mother always pushed her to be the best she could be, inspired her to do what she loved, and encouraged her to be herself. From what Eve knew, the blonde didn’t have anything like that. It wasn’t fair. Eve wished Villanelle could've had the childhood she deserved, not the shitty one she got. She knew her parents had shaped the blonde’s view of love and it made her believe she wasn’t worthy of being loved. All the brunette wanted to do was change that.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to--” The consultant shook her head, pressing the elevator button when they arrived.

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault my parents were bad people and that they didn’t care for me. What matters is that I care for you and you care for me. And we both care for your mother.” Villanelle smiled, turning to her as they stepped in the elevator.

“Yeah...” The brunette wandered off. She was stressed, she couldn’t deny it. She had a stressful job and now her mom needed surgery. It was a lot to process at once. Luckily, she had Villanelle to help her through and she still couldn’t believe it sometimes. She felt she had won the lottery with the blonde because there was truly no one better for her than Villanelle. And the blonde felt the same. Eve was perfect in every way. 

“Do you want to do something? Take your mind off...” Villanelle gestured around, indicating the hospital and the anxiety that came along with it.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Eve was thinking about what they could do when the elevator doors opened to the Lounge’s floor.

“Oh my god, I forgot to tell you! Kenny and Elena got together while we…” Eve realized why she hadn’t told her. Not only had she actually forgotten (sorry Elena) but they were technically broken up when it had happened. 

“No way! You totally called it, baby.” Villanelle winked and nudged her as they walked toward the Lounge.

“Do you want to go on a double-date with them? If you think that’s weird or lame we don’t have to I just--” Eve shut up when she felt Villanelle’s lips. Both of them had realized that was an effective way of stopping the other from talking.

“Sounds lovely. And as much as I hate to suggest it…. Bear’s?”

The consultant laughed as they walked into the room. It was hilarious how much Villanelle hated that name. Poor Bear.

\------------

Kenny and Elena obviously agreed to a double-date at Bears. Not only were they already planning on going themselves, but they needed to get the gossip on the hospital’s newest consultant-registrar couple. Well, Elena did. Kenny was indifferent. They all arrived, Kenny ordered around of beers, and they all sat down at their booth, each couple on their respective sides.

“So… I heard you guys got told off by Carolyn?” Elena inquired, her curiosity piqued.

“Ugh, yes. To be honest, it did go better than I thought...” Eve shrugged, starting drinking her beer.

“I thought she was quite rude. No offense Kenny.” Villanelle interjected, giving a brief look to the young man.

“Trust me, none taken.” He laughed.

“What’s the deal with her and Konstantin? I just know there’s something there...” Villanelle leaned toward him, elbows on the table. She was still close with Konstantin, but whenever she inquired about his life, specifically his love life, he shut her down every time.

“Oh my god, you have to tell them! It’s hilarious,” Elena bounded up and down, pushing Kenny with her elbow. 

“Mmm alright, fine.” He gave in, starting to spill the details on Carolyn and Konstantin’s very  _ very  _ complicated relationship.

\-------------

It was a fun night. The two couples laughed, sharing stories of other people at the hospitals along with stories about themselves. Eve learned more about how Elena and Kenny became a couple and they learned more about her and Villanelle. It was nice, having a best friend in a happy relationship while you were too. 

And for a few hours, Eve’s mind drifted away from her mom and her surgery. Which was on Friday. And it was Thursday morning. She trusted Villanelle completely to do the surgery, it was why she’d suggested it. She so much rather have Villanelle do it than Martin. He was not a bad surgeon by any means, she just preferred having someone close to her, someone she trusted, take care of her mom. Eve wasn’t nervous that Villanelle couldn’t do it, she just had a bad habit of going to the worst-case scenario. It was what she did when Villanelle mentioned Anna, when she heard about the car accident and assumed the blonde was hurt, and it was what she was doing now. 

“You think very loudly, Eve.” Villanelle murmured into her hair as she woke up.

Eve, thankfully pulled from continuing her thoughts, turned to look at her.

“Sorry, I’m just… nervous? I think? I don’t really know.”

“About your mom? You know I’m going to do everything I can to--”

“I know, V. I trust you,” Eve announced, cutting the blonde off. She didn’t even hesitate. She meant it, completely.

Villanelle smiled. Someone trusted her  _ this  _ much. She thought she was dreaming.

Eve and Villanelle started their days at the hospital, obviously. The brunette quickly went to check on her mom, who was doing just fine. She was watching TV while doing a crossword. She did this when Eve was a kid too. 

“You don’t have to pretend not to be nervous. It’s surgery. Brain surgery. It’s okay to be worried.” The consultant said, her hand gently resting on her mom’s shoulder. 

“Across 6 is an organ that weighs 7 to 15 ounces… five letters….. Is it the brain?” The older woman smirked.

“Omma.”

“Sweetie, I am not nervous. It is not a scary tumor and I trust Villanelle because you trust her. Okay?”

“Okay.” Eve smiled.

“I’ll be back later to check on you, alright?” She said, turning for the door.

“Okay, honey.” The older woman said, looking at her crossword, some soap opera playing in the background.

“And Omma…. It’s the heart.” Eve gestured at her mother’s crossword. 

Her mother just made an ‘O’ shape with her mouth and nodded, scribbling the answer down.

\------------

Eve’s day was mostly a blur. Mostly. 

She had a few surgeries during the day and one of her patients… didn’t make it. She did everything she could but she just couldn’t save him. His injuries were too extensive. No matter who the patient was, it always hit Eve hard when they didn’t make it through surgery. All she wanted to do was save people and sometimes she just couldn’t do that. It was one of, if not  _ the _ , worst part about the job.

She was leaving the OR when she got a text from Villanelle.

**_Villanelle_ ** _ : Ur mom wants to have dinner with us ton8 in her room after our shifts. I’m ordering ur fav. Vx _

When the blonde was checking on Eve’s mom (you know, her vitals, how she was feeling about surgery, how she was feeling about her dating her daughter, etc...), Ms. Park asked if she should eat before surgery. Villanelle said 8 hours before would be the last time she would be able to eat (even though that’d be in the middle of the night). Regardless, all Ms. Park really wanted to know was if she could have dinner with Eve. And… with Villanelle. At first, the blonde was shocked but then she was just happy. Her girlfriend’s mom actually wanted to get to know her. That had never happened before. Granted, most of what Villanelle had gone through with Eve had never happened before.

The brunette was nervous. Of course, she knew her mom already liked Villanelle, but this was different. This would be normal-Villanelle, not surgeon-Villanelle. To be fair, they weren’t very different but it was still like taking your girlfriend home for the first time (which was still something Eve had never done before). And it was in a hospital. And your girlfriend was also your mom’s doctor. 

Eve went back to the Lounge and she changed into black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. As she headed to her mom’s room, she could see Villanelle through the window, also out of her scrubs, and in a white silk blouse and black high-waisted trousers. She looked magnificent, as always. She was sitting on a chair next to her mom’s bed, both of them laughing at, she assumed, something Villanelle had said. Eve swears her heart skipped a beat. The happiness between the two most important women in her life was all she’d ever wanted.

“Hi, guys.” She knocked and walked in.

“Eve! I got food.” The blonde gestured to the chair next to her, sitting on it was a white carton of food. 

“Thank you. How were you today, Omma?” She asked, taking the carton, and sitting down next to her girlfriend.

“Good, I finished the crossword hours ago.” She gestured to the folded newspaper, sitting beside her.

“Of course you did,” Eve grinned, opening up the white box, discovering her favorite, Shepherd’s Pie. She gave Villanelle a look, which made the blonde smile back, before starting to eat.

Dinner was a success. If Villanelle hadn’t already charmed Eve’s mom, she definitely had now. Ms. Park asked her questions that, to Eve’s surprise, Villanelle answered with no hesitation. The brunette didn’t think she’d lie, she just knew her girlfriend struggled with total transparency. But, Villanelle answered every question her mother asked, no matter how personal. All the blonde wanted was for Eve’s mom to like her. The older woman loved her daughter and Villanelle knew how important Eve’s mom was to her girlfriend, so she’d do anything to be on her good side. It was easy, though, her mom was so funny, charismatic, and, most of all, loving. She could see where Eve got her compassion. By the end of dinner, Villanelle felt welcomed and… well, loved.

But tomorrow was a big day, for all of them. It was surgery day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thx for ur continued love on this story, we're getting to the final stretch ahh :)  
> kudos & comments are always appreciated.
> 
> love you guys, stay safe!
> 
> kira x


	26. A Special Ingredient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villanelle performs Eve's mom's surgery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the beginning scene is interspersed with song lyrics from Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson.   
> highly recommend listening to that as you read/before you read cuz that is the. vibe. 
> 
> & i think there's at least one song in all of the next few chapters so in the beginning notes ill let you know which songs they are. just keep an eye out ;)
> 
> anyway, i can't believe we are hitting the final stretch!! enjoy!!

**Chapter 26**

Eve, thanks to her internal body clock, woke up on time. When she turned to feel for the woman that she assumed would be next to her, it was empty. She quickly sat up and looked around the bedroom. Empty. Except she heard… was that humming? And she could smell… maybe pancakes?

_ But baby _

_ You hardly even notice _

She stood up, pulled on a t-shirt and shorts, both discarded on the floor from the previous night. Eve walked, quietly, into the living room, seeing Villanelle in the kitchen. 

Villanelle  _ was _ humming... and cooking. The blonde flipped a pan and Eve saw pancakes. She was quite impressed by her sense of smell. It was then when she noticed there was a small brown antique radio sitting on the countertop, softly playing the song that the registrar was humming to. 

_ When I try to show you this _

_ Song is meant to keep you _

_ Doin' what you're supposed to _

“Morning,” The brunette wrapped her arms around Villanelle’s waist, her head resting on the blonde’s upper back. 

“Oh hi,” She turned, facing Eve, as she set the pan down, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You’re making pancakes?” The consultant inquired, looking down at the pan filled with a small stack of pancakes. It was kind of a dumb question, but it felt surreal. Villanelle had made them breakfast before but nothing as lavish as this.

_ Wakin' up too early _

_ Maybe we could sleep in _

“Not just any pancakes,” Villanelle smirked, turning back to the pancakes, separating the stack onto two plates, “my signature pancakes.”

“Oh? And what makes them signature?” Eve went and sat down at the countertop. 

“There’s a special ingredient….” The blonde winked and sat the plate of pancakes in front of her girlfriend, setting her own in front of her.

_ Make you banana pancakes _

_ Pretend like it's the weekend now _

_ We could pretend it all the time _

Eve was starving. She didn’t even ask what the special ingredient was, nor did she really care. She could tell they would be delicious and that…. was an understatement. She basically moaned when she took her first bite.

“Good?” Villanelle smirked.

“Oh my god, yes.”

_ Can't you see that it's just rainin' _

_ There ain't no need to go outside _

_ Just maybe _

_ Halaka ukulele mama made a baby _

“The secret ingredient is bananas. Banana pancakes!” She giggled, pouring an excessive amount of syrup over her pancakes before taking a bite. Eve’s heart couldn’t help but melt at the sight.

“They’re delicious. Thank you, V. You really didn’t have to....” She took the blonde’s hand from across the counter and intertwined their fingers, her thumb rubbing indistinct patterns. 

_ Really don't mind the practice _

_ Cause you're my little lady _

“I wanted to. I know today is a big day and I just… I don’t know... I wanted you to be less stressed.” Villanelle shrugged, mumbling into her pancake.

“Have I told you I loved you?” Eve asked, meeting her eyes.

“Not yet.” She grinned.

_ Really don't mind the practice _

_ Cause you're my little lady _

_ Lady lady love me _

“Well, I love you.” Eve leaned in, the blonde doing the same so their lips met in the middle.

“I love you too.” Villanelle whispered against her lips, then they leaned back and they continued their breakfast.

_ Cause I love to lay here lazy _

_ We could close the curtains _

_ Pretend like there's no world outside _

\-----------------

They got to the hospital on time, both changing into their scrubs. Eve was determined to get a few hours of work done before her mom’s surgery. Both her and Villanelle went to see Ms. Park, before they both went to do their respective work. 

“‘Morning, Omma,” Eve said, walking in front of Villanelle, next to her mom’s bed.

“Hi darlings, excited for today, Villanelle?” The older woman asked as the blonde went to the opposite side of her bed.

“Very. Your surgery isn’t for a few hours so do your best to relax and then I’ll come get you prepped,” She smiled, looking at the monitor, just to double-check her vitals. All were well. 

“Do you want another crossword? I picked up a newspaper from downstairs,” Eve said, taking a rolled copy of the Daily Telegraph out of her back pocket.

“Oh that would be great! Thank you, Evie,” Her mother replied, putting on her glasses and opening the paper.

“I’ll come and check on you before your surgery too,” Her daughter smiled, rubbing her mother’s shoulder as she and Villanelle started to turn for the door.

“Don’t stress out  _ too _ much, baby.” The older woman said, smirking, not looking up from the crossword.

Eve scoffed and rolled her eyes before following Villanelle out the door.

“See you in a few hours?” The blonde smiled, as they walked toward the elevator.

“See you in a few hours,” Eve kissed her quickly before she hopped in the elevator and Villanelle walked in the other direction, a smile plastered all over her face.

\----------------

Surprisingly, the brunette was able to get quite a bit of paperwork done. There weren’t many patients in the Trauma center this morning, and if there was a patient, Elena had it covered. This allowed Eve to sit at the main desk, filling out paperwork. She disliked this part of her job, but it was necessary. And it distracted her enough. She completely lost track of time. Luckily, Elena reminded her of the time when it hit 11:45. Her mother’s surgery started soon. 

She raced up to her mother’s room, finding Villanelle in there as well, preparing the woman for surgery. 

“How are you feeling? Nervous? Scared?” The blonde asked the older woman.

“Not really. Definitely not as scared as this one,” She gestured toward the door where Eve bumbled in, her hair in a craze.

“Lost track of time, sorry. How are you? Ready?” She rushed next to her mom, holding her forearm.

“More than ready.” Her mom held her hand.

\--------------

Villanelle and Ms. Park left Eve to go to the OR. The brunette was feeling the nerves now. She knew the blonde could complete the surgery, but it was still a scary thought. Her mom was getting brain surgery. 

Eve eventually headed to the scrub room, where she knew her girlfriend would be in by now.

Villanelle was, in simple terms, freaking out. She was generally able to put up a magnificent facade when it came to her emotions. For example, the pancakes this morning gave Eve the idea that she wasn’t stressed. Villanelle wanted Eve to think _she_ was calm so that it would calm  _ her  _ down. 

Except, the blonde was very very stressed. In her past surgeries, she’d never felt this nervous before. She usually felt excited. But this wasn’t any other surgery. This was her girlfriend’s mother. She couldn’t mess up. 

Eve walked into the scrub room, seeing Villanelle furiously scrub her hands, looking down at them.

“Hi,” Eve said, walking up to her.

“Hi.” The blonde responded curtly.

“You okay? You can be nervous you know,” The brunette murmured, putting her hand on the blonde’s lower back. She could tell something was off.

“I’m fine. It’ll be fine.” Villanelle reassured, mostly to calm herself.

“Villanelle please…” She started, hoping to get the blonde’s attention. But she didn’t. Her girlfriend continued to wash her hands, white soap buds all over her forearms.

“Oksana.” Eve announced. She’d never called her that before but, she knew it’d get her attention. She couldn’t have the blonde ignoring her right now. This was much too important.

Villanelle’s head turned quicker than she imagined. At first, Eve thought she’d be angry since she knew she hated being called that but she didn’t see any anger in her eyes. She saw… tears.

“I’m scared, Eve. I can’t mess this up. And I… I mess everything up,” The blonde croaked. She couldn’t believe she was breaking down right now. Her heart felt like it was being out of her chest at a million miles an hour. 

“Villanelle, it’s okay, everything is going to be okay, I promise. You’re going to do great,” Eve put her hands on the woman’s shoulders. The blonde was shaking.

The registrar didn’t meet her eyes.

“Look at me, baby. Look at me. Focus on me.” The brunette knew what was happening.

She found hazel eyes.

“Breath in…. 1... 2… 3… 4…” Eve demonstrated breathing in, Villanelle following.

“And out… 1… 2… 3… 4…” The brunette breathed out, gently rubbing the registrar’s shoulders. 

They did this for a few minutes. The blonde stopped trembling, her heart rate steadied, and she was breathing normally again.

“Do you feel better?” Eve whispered, her eyes never leaving Villanelle.

“Yes, thank you, Eve. What would I do without you?” She breathed out, now smiling.

“Who knows?” The consultant grinned.

Villanelle took her slightly wet hands around to the back of her neck, unclasping the necklace Eve got her.

“Hold on to it for me?” The blonde asked. Technically, they weren’t really supposed to wear jewelry into the OR. People did anyway, but Eve knew this was more of a symbolic gesture rather than a practical one.

“Of course,” She took it, putting in her scrub’s chest pocket. 

“I’m ready,” Villanelle announced, looking briefly to the OR doors.

“I know you are. You’re going to do amazing.” Eve pecked her lips.

“I love you. I’ll see you soon.” Villanelle beamed, dried her hands, and turned toward the OR.

She looked back, Eve still staring at her, and the brunette blew her a kiss.

\-----------

While the surgery was happening, Eve tried to refocus back on work. She was unsuccessful. 

She continued her paperwork but she couldn’t read any of the sentences. Her mind would stray to worse-case scenarios, again. The worst one, by far, was the scenario where her mom died during surgery, just as her dad had. She couldn’t go through another loss like that. She barely survived the first time. Eve knew she was older and she understood that death was inevitable, but it didn’t matter. This was her mother. No matter what age she was, she couldn’t handle losing her on an operating table.

She spent the whole five hours within the Lounge. Elena was able to keep the Trauma center running during this time, however, this meant she couldn’t be there to comfort her best friend. Luckily, Elena was the absolute perfect and bestest friend Eve could ever ask for because she told Bill what was going on with Eve’s mom. And since he was free, he met the brunette in the Lounge. 

“Hey, girl.” Bill walked in, looking at Eve who was on her back, laying on the couch.

“Oh hi,” She smiled, she hadn’t been expecting him, but she was so glad he was here.

“Scooch, please,” He said, lightly pushing her feet off the end of the couch, causing Eve to sit up and turn to sit properly on the couch.

There was silence for a few moments. As much as the brunette appreciated him being there, she had no idea how to formulate how she was feeling into words.

“I heard about your mom… you okay?” Bill started, tentatively. For as long as they had been friends, family was always a sensitive spot for Eve, for obvious reasons. She had opened up to him about her parents as they got closer but, she still wasn’t a huge fan of talking about it.

“Yeah, I am. But, you know me. Just thinking of the worst,” She rested her head on the back of the couch, looking at the ceiling.

“She’s going to be okay, Eve. Villanelle is beyond talented. And I heard she’s very interested in Neuro.” Bill mimicked Eve’s seating position.

The brunette couldn’t help but smile at that. She wasn’t being biased when she said Villanelle was talented. She really was.

“I can’t lose my mom, not after my dad. I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I know. But you know we are all here for you. And Villanelle obviously will stay with you, no matter what. She’s performing the surgery after all…” He trailed off, not really knowing what else to say to comfort her.

“I love her, Bill.” It was what Eve was thinking about, so why not say what she was thinking?

“I know, you guys are kind of the talk of the town around here,” He laughed and so did Eve. He wasn’t wrong. There was a strong gossip community at St. Thomas.

“I just wish she…. I want her to know how I feel about her. She knows I love her, ‘cause I tell her more than enough and I know she loves me but… I wish there was a way I could  _ show _ it. Wow, that sounds so dumb and I feel 16 again--” Eve turned to Bill but was cut off by him interrupting. 

“She knows how much you care about her. Anyone can see it. But if you want to  _ show  _ her, I might have an idea…” He had a devilish smirk.

\--------------

The surgery wasn’t the longest one Villanelle has been on. It ended up being around 5 hours, which was normal for a craniotomy. Martin was with her, supervising. He asked her a few questions during, like “What are you doing now?” or sometimes it was a compliment, such as “Oh nice” or a “Yes, good job, keep going.” As if Villanelle was going to stop? She really didn’t need him there, but it was protocol.

Regardless, the surgery had gone flawlessly. She was able to remove the entire tumor, which was a  _ huge _ relief. If she hadn’t been able to remove all of it, there was a much higher chance of it coming back and Eve’s mom would need chemotherapy or another surgery. Either way, Villanelle knew she needed to remove all of it. 

When she scrubbed out, she was exhausted, to say the least. It was a difficult surgery to perform and she wouldn’t know how Ms. Park was until she woke up, which wouldn’t be for a few hours, at least. She headed to the elevator, hoping she could maybe get some sleep in an on-call room before Ms. Park woke up. She assumed Eve would still be working, so she didn’t want to disturb her, especially since she didn’t know her mom’s condition just yet.

The blonde waited for the elevator, closing her eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. When she heard the ding, informing her that the elevator had arrived, she opened her eyes. As the doors moved, she saw Eve. And the elevator was filled with…. photos?

“Eve? What is... ” She started but the sight itself was a shock. She was almost never shocked.

“Come in,” The brunette gestured, stepping to the side.

Villanelle obeyed, looking around the elevator before settling on Eve’s eyes. The doors closed, leaving them alone inside.

“I wanted to do something for you, not as a thank you for performing my mom’s surgery, but, by the way, thank you. I heard everything went well,” She smirked, “I wanted to thank you for being you. I know how hard you work to have gotten where you are and how hard you work to continue to get where you want to be. I know I haven’t made it easy… but, I guess I just wanted to say how much you mean to me. And I did this here because... well, it’s technically where we first met.” She shrugged nonchalantly, her face bright red. She really did feel like 16, asking a date out to prom or something. 

All Villanelle could do was wrap her arms around her and pull her into a hug. She would have kissed her, but the blonde could feel the tears falling from her face. Happy tears. She just realized she’d met the love of her life.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me,” She stood back and continued to look around the elevator. 

It was filled with mementos and photos of their whole relationship. There was a coupon from Cherry on Top, an ad from Bear’s, the receipt from Clos Maggiore, pictures of the London Eye, pictures of them on some of the rides at the fair, and the stuffed bears they won were even in the corner of the elevator. Villanelle couldn’t believe Eve had kept all this stuff. The blonde turned and picked the teddy bear up, gazing at it, filled with the memories of that night.

“Bill helped,” Eve smiled as she watched the blonde take it all in.

There were also brain scans, filling the empty spaces of the elevator. The brunette watched as Villanelle studied them, the bear tucked under her arm.

“I know how much you love Neuro. And I just want you to know I’m going to be there with you every step of the way. It’s a long road but... I know you can do it,” The consultant stood next to the blonde, who was now looking at her.

“Thank you, Eve. No one has ever done anything like this for me.” 

Eve reached into her pocket, where she had kept the necklace, and pulled it out. Villanelle naturally turned, her hair already tied up in a bun. The brunette clasped it around her neck with ease, the blonde turning around when she was done.

“I love you, like a scary amount,” Villanelle announced, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman. 

“I love you, like a  _ scarier _ amount,” Eve countered, instinctively putting her arms around Villanelle’s neck.

“Can I kiss you?” The blonde whispered, already staring at the brunette’s lips.

“No matter my answer, I know you’re going to. But, yes, of course, you can.” She rolled her eyes.

Eve was right, but Villanelle still wanted her answer to be yes. She leaned in, kissing the brunette with more love than she’d ever felt before. She was the love of her life, after all.

\------------

It had been a week since Eve’s mom’s surgery. At first, the older woman was quite dizzy and weak, finding it difficult to walk. Eve got worried very quickly, as you might have expected, but Villanelle knew this was common right after brain surgery. And she was right. After about five days, Eve’s mom was relatively back to her usual self. She would be released in the next day or two and would stay with Eve for a few days then head back to Connecticut. The brunette was happy to have her mom stay with her because it felt like things were going back to normal. She’d have at least a few days where she could finally spend time with her outside of a hospital. Eve realized she would have to go back to her apartment since she had been spending every night at Villanelle’s, so her place really needed some cleaning.

During this week, the blonde had been moved from neuro to plastic surgery. Villanelle was livid. When she explained why (i.e. Jaime liked her girlfriend), Eve laughed. Hard. She loved jealousy on Villanelle, even though she occasionally worried about Jaime’s safety. However, she took pity on the blonde so she reassured her (more than usual) that  _ she  _ was the only one she wanted and that she never even entertained the idea of Jaime. This made Villanelle’s week _ a little _ better. 

The blonde still continued to check in on Eve’s mom, updating her on her condition as much as she could. She cared about the older woman and despite what specialty she was on, she would make sure she was doing okay. It was the next Saturday morning when Ms. Park was released from the hospital. Eve and Villanelle helped her into a cab. The blonde knew her girlfriend would want to spend time with her mom, so she knew not to intrude, especially since she’d been with the brunette for every waking moment since her mom’s surgery. 

“I’ll talk to you later, okay?” Villanelle said to Eve as the brunette opened the front door to the cab.

“Okay,” Eve smiled, pecking her lips before getting into the car.

\------------

The weekend was a nice break for the brunette. She and her mother spent most of it at her apartment, catching each other up on their lives. It was much easier to do outside a hospital. Eve talked about Villanelle, obviously, telling her mom pretty much everything.

“You sound very happy, my love.” The older woman remarked after Eve finished talking about the blonde.

“I am, Omma. When I picture my future, I just see her. Us.” She’d never said that out loud before. It was very cheesy.

“Do I hear… wait are those… marriage bells I hear?” The older woman giggled, her daughter’s face getting even redder.

Leaving her mother at the airport was hard. She went straight to Villanelle’s apartment afterward and cried (a little). Her mom was such an important part of her. She knew that despite her being across the world, their bond would never diminish but it was still hard saying goodbye. However, she never had anyone to cry to before. She  _ had _ Niko, but he wasn’t very…. how to put this… let’s just say, he never understood why Eve cried when her mother left. But, now she had Villanelle. The blonde understood why she cried. After going through this surgery with her, she could tell how much Eve relied on her mother. It made sense why she was sad when she left. All Villanelle wanted to was to make her girlfriend feel better. 

And that’s what she was going to do.

Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u liked this:) & yes, that elevator scene was inspired by derek shepherd. just a little, though.
> 
> life is getting crazier so im hoping to stick to my same schedule but the next few chapters may be late, we'll see.
> 
> also, next chapter has a large time jump - oop! stick around & see hehehe
> 
> talk to me on [twitter](%E2%80%9Cwww.twitter.com/villanellesgun%E2%80%9D) if you want!
> 
> love you guys, thx for ur support
> 
> kira x


	27. Polpetta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 8.5 months later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I know this isn’t exactly how the UK medical system works, please just pretend for me:)
> 
> Also, the featured song is How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - Marvin Gaye  
> An absolutely beautiful song *chefs kiss* - go listen!

**Chapter 27**

_ 8 1/2 months later _

The Membership Examination of the Surgical Royal Colleges of Great Britain and Ireland. 

Otherwise known as the MRCS Exam. You take it at the beginning of your third year of specialty training as the third year consists of core knowledge related to your specialty. In Villanelle’s case, this was neurosurgery. She didn’t want to show anyone how much she was freaking out about the exam. But, Eve knew. Not only had she seen Elena, Kenny, and Hugo go through this process the year before, but she could also tell how nervous her girlfriend was.

It was hard to imagine… well no it actually isn’t, but in the past 8.5 months, they could tell what the other was thinking just by looking at them (it wasn’t 100% accurate but very close). It was something Villanelle especially prided herself on. She could read Eve like a book. She was good at reading people, but she knew what the brunette was thinking or what she’d do in certain situations. This was something she’d wanted to have with another person for so long. Not just anyone, with Eve. Villanelle was a harder book to read, but Eve was one of the very few people in the world to crack it.

And the blonde had been studying. Non. Stop. For months. It was starting to worry the brunette. She would miss meals and stay up for all hours of the night, all while continuing to go to work every day. 

Meanwhile, Eve had pretty much moved into Villanelle’s apartment. She only spent one night a week, if that, at her own place. The blonde had never asked her specifically, but it was more of an unspoken thing at this point. She and Eve would come home together and they would go to work together. Eve even called it home. Because it was. Still, she really wanted Villanelle to ask her to move in. Officially.

_ How sweet it is to be loved by you, feels so fine _

_ How sweet it is to be loved by you _

She still had her own apartment. And while Villanelle had never asked her to leave, Eve was still worried about overstepping. A lot of her stuff was there. Most of her stuff was there. Her favorite clothes, her hairbrush, even a toothbrush. Despite this, the blonde still had never explicitly  _ asked  _ her to move in. However, Eve didn’t want to burden her with more. She’d taken the exams before, and they weren’t easy. She wanted her girlfriend to focus on studying. 

The exam was this Monday. It was Saturday. 

Eve wanted the blonde to relax for the weekend. Anything she knew now, she’d know by the time the exam started. Also, most mornings, the brunette woke up alone. Villanelle usually crashed on the couch (where she had been studying) which was again, very worrying. She knew how much the blonde worked but this… was scary. She wanted Villanelle to have at least a day or two where she could unwind and relax.

The brunette woke up (alone) on Saturday and saw what she usually did. Villanelle spread out like a starfish on the couch, covered by textbooks, papers, and post-it notes.

The brunette smiled. As much as it occasionally worried her, it was still attractive how much the blonde worked. Eve loved her job and she could see how much her girlfriend did too. So, she went to make breakfast. Villanelle did this most of the time since Eve really had no idea what she was doing in a kitchen, but once in a blue moon, the brunette would try and do something nice for her girlfriend. A girlfriend who she loved very very much.

_ I close my eyes at night _

_ Wondering where would I be without you in my life _

Eve had an idea. Banana pancakes. Well, just pancakes. She didn’t know how Villanelle incorporated bananas into them. She quickly made a cup of coffee, and then she got started. 

She started thinking about how much her life had changed in the past year. She was so happy. Everything had worked out. Her mother was healthy in Connecticut and Eve took a trip a few weeks ago to go and see her. She was doing great. She even brought Villanelle. Granted, it was only for a few days, but the brunette showed the blonde where she grew up. It was something so meaningful to Eve, and she hadn’t been back in quite a while, so she was happy Villanelle was with her.

Bill and Keiko were expecting another baby in 6 months. And speaking of babies, she heard Gemma had a boy a few months ago. To be honest, Eve was so happy that she could only be happy for her and Niko. Also, Elena and Kenny were still going strong. They, Eve, and Villanelle had gone on multiple double dates over the past few months. Hugo was, to the brunette’s knowledge, still single. Which was a good thing, she thinks? And then she thought about Villanelle. Her girlfriend, her partner, her soulmate, the love of her life. There were so many things to call her.

_ Everything I did was just a bore _

_ Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before _

She was a constant in her life now, completely. They saw each other often, but not too often that it was smothering. Both understood the demands of each other’s work. So, it was hard to see each other constantly, but they still took the time to go on dates, stay in and watch a movie, or even just nap together in an on-call room. Sometimes it was a nap, and sometimes it was sex. Really depended on the day. Either way, they took time out of their day to see each other because they wanted to. Eve couldn’t imagine her life without the blonde. She was thinking about how much she wanted  _ this _ to be permanent...

She was quickly taken out of her thoughts when she felt long arms wrap around her waist and a head on her right shoulder. 

_ But you brighten up for me all of my days _

_ With a love so sweet in so many ways _

“Pancakes? You’re stealing my signature dish!” The blonde said mockingly, squeezing Eve a little tighter.

“Don’t worry, there are no bananas in these, I still do not know how you put those in,” She smiled, finishing the pancakes and turning off the stove.

“I would say I’d teach you but then it would not be  _ my _ signature dish,” Eve turned toward Villanelle, wrapping her arms around her neck.

“You okay?” The brunette asked, rubbing her thumb across the blonde’s cheek.

“Yeah, why?”

“You crashed on the couch… again,” She looked back at the couch and then back to hazel eyes. She had never directly mentioned how much she worried about the blonde, knowing that Villanelle was just doing what she thought was best. 

“I’m sorry, the exam is just… I really need to pass,” Villanelle mumbled, feeling guilty that she continued to study a bit  _ too _ hard. She tended to do this whenever she focused on… well, anything. She wouldn’t stop until it was finished. She would put in 150% despite it nearly killing her. It was helpful when becoming a surgeon as you needed to put in as much work in as possible, but she knew Eve was still worried about her. She could see it in the way she looked at her while she studied or when she mentioned that she hadn’t slept. Villanelle felt she  _ needed _ to pass. She wanted to do whatever she could to get there.

_ I wanna stop and thank you baby _

_ I just wanna stop and thank you baby, oh yes _

Subconsciously, the blonde kept thinking about their jobs. Eve was an established consultant and she was still a registrar. But if she passed, she would be a big step closer to getting her CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training), and then  _ she  _ could be a consultant too. As much as Eve said she didn’t care about her being a registrar anymore, Villanelle couldn’t help but think that she might be more comfortable if they were closer to the same level. Still, it would be years before she would be a consultant… Then again, she knew what she had with Eve was going to last.

She was so thankful for Eve. She’d been helping her throughout this whole process. She helped her study from time to time, made her food when she forgot to eat, she even put a blanket over her when she fell asleep on the couch (something she noticed when she woke up). She couldn’t ask for a better girlfriend. Villanelle knew she hadn’t been able to show her how much she appreciated her, due to her constant studying. But, she had a plan to show Eve how much she really valued her.

“I know, baby, and you will. You’re so smart with that big brain of yours,” The brunette laughed, pulling her girlfriend closer.

_ How sweet it is to be loved by you, it's just like sugar sometimes _

_ How sweet it is to be loved by you, oh yeah _

“I love you, and your bad pancakes,” Villanelle smirked, giving Eve a long kiss to avoid her response to the comment about her cooking.

\-------------

“V, look at me,” Eve turned the blonde toward her by the waist, “You’re going to do great, okay?”

They were outside the testing center Monday morning. Villanelle took the day off work, due to the exam, and Eve told Elena she’d be at the Trauma Center a little later that morning. The brunette got Villanelle away from the books for a good portion of the weekend. And she was doing her best to calm her nerves. Eve knew she was stressing even more because she hadn’t studied as much as she wanted to but Eve knew, from experience, sleep was way more important than studying the night before an exam.

Villanelle hummed in agreement, but she was sweating and breathing heavily. She was visibly nervous and at this point in their relationship, she wasn’t afraid of hiding from Eve.

“Breathe in….1….2….3….4….” The blonde followed the instruction, just like the last time. This exercise always helped calm her nervousness but she hadn’t had this many nerves since Ms. Park’s surgery.

_ You were better to me than I was to myself _

_ For me, there's you and there ain't nobody else _

“Breathe out... 1… 2… 3… 4…”

She steadied, smiling at how Eve had helped her. After the exam, since she had the whole day off, she was going to hatch her plan to show how much this woman meant to her.

“Thank you. I’ll see you at home, later?” Villanelle used ‘home’ too. Home was really where Eve was (I know, cheesy, I’m sorry) and Eve was at her apartment. So that was home.

“Yes, I’ll see you later. Good luck.” The brunette pecked the blonde’s lips.

“I love youuuuu!” Villanelle yelled as she jogged through the building’s doors.

\------------

Five hours later, Villanelle was out of the exam. Part A was complete. She knew Part B would take place at St. Thomas later that week. Carolyn offered to help her through it, so she wasn’t actually worried. The exam was multiple practical stations that reflected a lot of elements of day-to-day clinical practice. She had been working at St. Thomas for close to a year now, so that part wouldn’t be hard. 

She felt the exam went relatively okay. She would know her results in a week or two, so then she’d know if she passed. Hopefully, she did, and would continue her specialty training and would eventually rise to become a consultant. If she failed… well, she tried not to think about it. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but going through more training and studying was something she didn’t want to imagine. She’d worked her ass off for this. She knew she deserved it.

Villanelle also wanted to show Eve how grateful she was for helping her through all of this. She knew it wasn’t easy for the other woman and the blonde would sacrifice a lot of free time she had to study. She didn’t want Eve to feel like she didn’t value her or want her around. Because she did. That’s all she wanted. If all goes well, the brunette would know that by the end of the night.

_ I wanna stop and thank you baby _

_ I just wanna stop and thank you baby, oh yes _

\-------------

Eve’s day hadn’t been awful. She only had a tracheostomy, for which the patient was now recovering and would be fine. She was worried about Villanelle but she’d gotten a text earlier saying she ended the exam. The blonde said she’d be running errands for the rest of the day and that she'd be home by the time Eve’s shift was done.

When the brunette was finally on her way back to Villanelle’s she was tired, but she was very excited. Villanelle had finished her exam! She knew the blonde still had the practical part later this week but she knew that would be a breeze for her girlfriend. She was finally done studying and stressing out. Eve had complete faith in her that she would pass. They hadn’t spent as much time together as Eve would’ve liked, but she understood the importance of the exam. She also knew how seriously Villanelle took it. She was happy, not only for her, but for the blonde now that she’d be able to calm down and take it easy.

Eve had taken Villanelle’s spare key that morning, assuming she’d meet the blonde back here. Villanelle hadn’t technically given her the key but she didn’t say anything when she took it. 

When the brunette entered the apartment building, she saw candles lining the staircase, one on each side of each stair. There were also rose petals scattered on the stairs. Eve was aware there were other apartments in this building, so she assumed someone was making a romantic gesture for their significant other. She imagined Villanelle doing something like this… it made her smile. She gingerly walked up the stairs, avoiding stepping on too many petals, to Villanelle’s floor. On the blonde’s doorstep, there were petals in the shape of ‘EVE’. 

Oh. This was Villanelle.

Eve’s heart quickened. All of this, the flowers, the candles, all of it was... for her?

She used the key and slowly walked in. Petals and candles littered the apartment. There were petals on the floor, on the couch, all leading to the patio. Her and Villanelle never used the patio. It was quite small, to be honest. The sliding glass door was also half-broken so it was hard to get out there to begin with. The view was the same from inside. But, it was still nice and Villanelle used it from time-to-time when the weather was good.

Eve closed the door behind her, looking around for the blonde, who was nowhere to be found.

“V? Are you here?” Eve asked the empty room as she walked out to the patio, which was also filled with petals and candles.

That’s when she saw two chairs and a small table, filled with two silver cloches, covering what the brunette assumed to be dinner for the two of them. There was a bottle of red wine in the middle along with two wine glasses. Eve felt right out of a romance novel.

Then, she looked up and saw the most beautiful view of London. She’d obviously seen this view before, being here with Villanelle for months, but it still took her breath away. Especially at this time, it was sunset. There were blues, purples, and oranges all over the bright sky. There was Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, all of it. She was definitely in a romance novel.

The blonde was watching her, leaning against the door frame. Eve had been a few minutes earlier than she’d expected but it didn’t matter, everything was prepared. She already knew what she was doing right as she left the exam room. It was more an issue of gathering supplies, but she found a place easily. It was London, after all. She knew Eve loved romantic gestures and Villanelle was a huge romantic. As much as she hated to admit it.

“Like it?” She finally said, Eve whipping around to turn to her.

Villanelle was wearing an all-black suit, a lace black shirt, with a black bralette underneath. Eve definitely stared at it for at least a full minute.

“You did all this?” Was all she could get out. Obviously, Villanelle had, but she couldn’t believe it.

“Of course I did,” The blonde walked around the table to stand next to her on the railing, “I wanted to thank you for being there with me. Through my studying and everything. I know it was hard and I was annoying but you stuck with me and it… it meant a lot, Eve. So thank you,” Villanelle blushed. She rarely blushed but Eve looking into her eyes with so much adoration… her face couldn’t help but redden.

The brunette kissed her. She was speechless. Who wouldn’t be? This smoking hot 26-year-old blonde registrar making you the most romantic dinner possible, thanking you for being with her as she prepared for exams…. was Eve  _ not  _ supposed to kiss her?

She wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck, pulling her closer. Villanelle naturally pulled her closer with her arms around the shorter woman’s waist. It was a soft, sweet kiss at first. But… it continued. It became more and more passionate, with more tongue, more biting, more everything. Then, the blonde pulled away, breathless.

“We should probably continue this  _ after _ dinner,” She winked, gesturing to the food next to them, “Can’t let the food go to waste.” Eve just nodded, moving to sit down, with Villanelle across from her.

“I still can’t believe you did this, V. It’s beautiful, thank you.” She took off the silver cover from her food, revealing a perfectly cooked boeuf bourguignon, which was one of her favorite dishes. 

“Well, believe it, amore mio, I’d do anything for you,” The blonde shrugged, smiling at her. When she called Eve  _ literally anything _ in another language, the feeling went from the brunette’s heart right to in between her legs. She thinks Villanelle has been speaking more Italian lately on purpose.

“Anything?” Eve asked, looking into the hazel eyes she loved more than anything.

“Anything.” The blonde confirmed, looking at the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.

They finished their food relatively quickly, both being quite hungry from their long days. 

“Eve…. I have something to ask you...” Villanelle said, reaching into her pocket.

The brunette’s mind went in a million directions at once. At first, she thought she was proposing. Wasn’t it a bit early? Were they moving too fast? Would she say yes? If she did, would she mean it? 

“I know you’ve been here almost every day of the week for months but I wanted to ask…” The blonde pulled out a key and held it in front of her.

Oh. Eve knew what was coming. It wasn’t a proposal. Now that she’d imagined a proposal, she kind of wished it was one. 

“Will you officially move in with me?” She asked, handing the key to the brunette. 

“Of course!” Eve exclaimed, standing up, Villanelle doing the same, and hugged her. 

Once the brunette pulled away from the hug, she looked at the blonde and laughed.

“You did all this to ask me to move in with you? Even though I basically already do?”

“Well,” She looked around, the sun was finally setting, “Yeah, I guess I did.” She shrugged, smiling back at her.

“Oh my god, I love you,” Eve pulled her into another deep kiss.

“Can we go to the bedroom now?” The brunette mumbled on the blonde’s lips, barely stopping to speak.

“So impatient, polpetta,” Villanelle tutted, mockingly, “I have one more surprise for you, come,” She took Eve’s hand, bringing her into the living room. 

“Wait, polpetta, that’s new, what does it mean?” Eve asked as the blonde went up to the countertop, picking up some papers. 

Villanelle had been using a few nicknames lately, mostly Italian. The brunette barely knew what they meant. She used Google translate after a while so she knew ‘amore mio’ was ‘my love’, ‘cuore mio’ was ‘my heart’, and ‘bella’ was ‘beautiful’. That was it. ‘Polpetta’ didn’t sound as nice as those.

“Hmm, well, technically, it means meatball,” Eve’s mouth opened to say something, “But meatball in the cutest way possible I promise,” She smirked, the brunette rolling her eyes in response.

“What are those?” Eve gestured to the two sheets of paper in Villanelle’s hands.

“Tickets. To Italy. I thought we could take a vacation together. We’ve both been working so much and I think we deserve a break...” The blonde handed her the sheets of paper, which were in fact two-way tickets to Rome dated for a few weeks from now.

“Wow, I really didn’t think this night could get any better,” Eve whispered, staring at the tickets in disbelief.

“I did tell you I’d take you to Italy one day...”

“What? When?” She looked up, confused.

“When you took me out to that fancy dinner place… oh,” Villanelle then understood, “I did say it in Italian...” She grinned, realizing Eve didn’t know what she had said.

“Ah, I see,” The brunette glanced back down at the tickets, “They’re not for a couple of weeks?” 

“Yeah, we’ll be there right on our one-year anniversary...” The blonde said, proudly.

Eve frowned. She knew the day Villanelle asked her to be her girlfriend off by heart (obviously) and this… the week the tickets were set for... were _about_ two weeks before that.

That’s when it clicked.

“Wait did you… do you think our relationship started the day we first met?” She started laughing.

“Well, yeah,” Villanelle tilted her head and smiled, “I know from the moment I saw you in that elevator that you would be mine.”

“I’m yours?” Eve giggled, taking a step forward. She felt like a 16-year-old who’d just been asked out on a date except… she was a 46-year-old Trauma surgical consultant. Very different.

“Yes, and I’m  _ yours _ ,” Villanelle also took a step forward, smiling back at the brunette, “So… that is a yes? To Italy?” 

“Of course it’s a yes, polpetta!” She said laughing, embracing the blonde.

Eve pulled back, looking back into those hazel eyes. 

“Okay,  _ now _ we can take this into the bedroom,” Villanelle smirked, leading Eve down the hall.

\-------------

_ 2 weeks later _

They were about to leave for Heathrow when Villanelle got the email. Eve was already packed, as she was very prepared, but the blonde’s clothes still covered their room. In the past two weeks, Eve had pretty much moved all her stuff into her girlfriend’s apartment. It didn’t take that much time since most of her stuff was already there. 

They both had plenty of vacation days so leaving for a week wasn’t a problem. Elena said she’d cover the Trauma Center and Carolyn said that Villanelle should take a break since her exams were over and there wasn’t a specific department that needed her at the moment.

“My results came in...” The blonde said, staring at her phone, holding a t-shirt she was about to pack.

“Oh,” Eve whispered, looking up at Villanelle while she folded one of her dresses.

The registrar was frozen. She hadn’t opened the email yet. She didn’t want the result to hinder their trip in any way. She’d been thinking of this trip for so long, planning on what the couple would do, eat, and see for  _ weeks _ .

“Do you want me to open it?” The brunette asked, tentatively, walking over to her.

Villanelle nodded. On the other hand, she couldn’t handle the anticipation anymore. She’d rather know now than wait a whole week.

Eve slowly took the phone out of her hands, taking the blonde’s hand in her other. She clicked on the email.

“Oh my god V...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh i hope you enjoy this, time jumps can be scary but i hope this wasn't too bad.   
> i also thought it was about time V did something romantic for Eve, the big softie;)  
> also if i got any of the Italian wrong, please let me know!
> 
> so much has happened in the past few days but im doing my best to keep to the schedule! here's my [twitter;)](%E2%80%9Cwww.twitter.com/villanellesgun%E2%80%9D) if u want it
> 
> love u all, stay safe
> 
> kira x


	28. Roma!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve and Villanelle go to Rome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its a lil late! but i promise it was worth the wait!
> 
> songs featured (in the last scene) -- You Send Me by Sam Cooke

**Chapter 28**

“I knew you could do it!” Eve wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck, squeezing her tight.

“I passed?” Villanelle whispered, in disbelief, into the brunette’s neck.

“Not only did you pass,” Eve stepped back and looked at the phone again, “You got a 285!” (The exam is out of 300, just FYI).

“Oh.. wow..” Villanelle murmured, still very shocked.

“Wow is right,” Eve set the phone down, pushed the blonde onto the bed, and straddled her, “Your brain is _very_ sexy...” The brunette whispered in her ear, starting to kiss down Villanelle’s neck.

“Eve, as much as I want to continue this,” She breathed, doing her best to focus, “We need to get to the airport. Just imagine the sex we’re going to have in _Italy_...” 

And with that, Eve stood up and continued packing. Villanelle would be good at debate…

\----------

The flight wasn’t that long. Eve had wanted to sleep but the blonde’s head had claimed her shoulder so she watched a movie instead. They landed at Leonardo da Vinci International and got a taxi. Villanelle had taken the liberty of doing most of their planning since she knew Rome better than Eve so she picked the hotel.

When they got to Hotel de la Ville, the brunette was speechless. Could they afford this? They hadn’t really discussed a budget but as she stared at this place… she was starting to think that maybe they should’ve. However, she was saving quite a bit on rent now that she was living with Villanelle so she wasn’t _too_ worried. The hotel’s entrance was filled with lavish gold accents, marble columns, and floor-to-ceiling mirrors everywhere. The hotel sat atop the Spanish Steps, a place Eve had seen online but in real life, the beauty was truly unmatched. 

When Villanelle checked them in, using her fluent Italian (of course), they arrived at what the brunette knew was called a ‘Panoramic suite with Terrace’. The blonde had insisted for a terrace and while the brunette argued it would cost more, she had to admit it was worth it. They walked in and immediately Eve was struck with contemporary Italian decor and the absolutely stunning views of the city outside. They entered a living room area first. Beige walls, a black bookshelf in between two sliding glass doors, grey couches, and chairs, all surrounded by Italian arts and antiques. 

She followed the blonde, her suitcase behind her, and as soon as she was inside the brunette raced to the private terrace, taking in the sensational panorama of the Italian capital. There were terracotta rooftops, the Trevi Fountain, the Villa Borghese gardens, and Eve could even see the Colosseum. It was early evening, so lights were starting to flicker on and the sky was filled with colors. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Villanelle started to unpack but when she saw Eve, the most beautiful woman in the world, looking at what she considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, she couldn’t _not_ stare, okay? 

Eventually, she walked over, through the opened sliding door, and wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist, resting her chin on her left shoulder.

“It’s so beautiful…” Eve whispered, putting her hands over the blonde’s on her stomach.

“Sì, sei tu,” Villanelle smirked and the brunette could infer what that meant so she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“I’m so happy,” The blonde stated after a moment. She hadn’t said this so confidently before. She’d obviously felt happy when she was around Eve but being here, far away from the responsibilities of the world, was pure bliss. It felt like a dream she’d had before. 

“Me too,” Eve turned, wrapped her arms around Villanelle’s neck, “Now how about we check out the bedroom?” She smirked. She couldn’t help herself.

The blonde crashed her lips against Eve’s. She moved her hands down to the back of the brunette’s thighs and Eve could easily sense what she was trying to do. In a surprisingly fluid motion, the brunette jumped up, wrapping her legs around the blonde’s waist, Villanelle’s hands holding the back of Eve’s thighs for stability, the whole time their lips _barely_ left each other’s. The blonde walked, Eve still wrapped around her, back into the suite and into the bedroom. While they weren’t focusing on it, I’ll be the one to tell you what it looked like. 

The walls were a much different color to the one in the living room, these ones being a dark blue. The sheets were white with a dark orange cover, which you wouldn’t expect to work with the walls but it did. It really did. The walls were filled with minimalistic black and white paintings that really just made the place _that_ much prettier. There was a chair in the corner, the same dark orange color, next to a black coffee table. There was also a sliding glass door in the bedroom, giving the same gorgeous view of the city. There was a white door adjacent to the bed, leading to a large bathroom. The bathroom was just as beautiful. Marble walls with a black and white patterned floor, along a shower and bath on either side of two sinks. The shower was _huge._ Like way too big for one person, if you know what I mean. All in all, a stunning place. Villanelle chose well.

She threw Eve, lightly, onto the bed. The brunette was shocked at the soft and smooth feel to the sheets. Very impressed. She wanted to comment on it but the blonde was starting to sit on her lap so she’d just mention it another time.

“Remember what I said before we left London?” Villanelle whispered, now fully straddling her.

“‘Imagine the sex we’ll have in Italy?” Eve responded, surprisingly coherently, all while staring at the blonde’s lips which were getting closer to her own.

“Hmm, sì cara,” Villanelle hummed, the brunette swooning at the nickname, “However… you’re not going to have to imagine anymore.” 

Before Eve could even think of what to say next, she felt the blonde’s lips on her own.

She wanted it to be like this _forever._

\--------------

They woke up in the morning, tangled next to each other in very soft Italian sheets.

Eve woke up first, feeling the Italian sun on her through the curtains. Usually, she was laying on the blonde but it was Villanelle who was laying on her today. She could feel arms wrapped around her side and sure enough, when she looked down, she saw a muddle of blonde hair. She smiled and without even knowing it, she cuddled in further. 

This movement must’ve woken Villanelle up because she moved closer to Eve, groaning at the idea of waking up.

“Buongiorno,” Eve mumbled, in a 5/10 Italian accent, into her blonde hair.

“How do you know Italian?” Was all Villanelle said, not moving an inch, her eyes still closed.

“I read some on the plane, while you were sleeping,” She smiled even though she knew good morning, thank you, and yes. That was it. Plus a few nicknames Villanelle calls her.

“Mmm, I see,” She finally moved her head up, their eyes meeting, “Ti amo, la mia anima.”

“What does that mean?” Eve started to stroke the blonde’s cheek, gazing at the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. 

Her hair was a mess, but she couldn’t help smile at her. She also saw that Villanelle was wearing the necklace she had gotten her all those months ago. She almost never saw her without it. Eve glanced at it and then looked back into those hazel eyes.

“It means ‘I love you, my soul’. Apparently, only people in serious and committed relationships use it,” The blonde shrugged, smirking, “Or parents to their children.”

“I’m going to assume we’re in a serious and committed relationship then?”

“I don’t know….,” Villanelle loved to tease, “....mommy.” 

“Oh god.” She covered her face with her hands. This woman was going to be the death of her.

\-------------

Eve offered to get them some breakfast. Villanelle was still tired, probably from last night’s activities, so the brunette said she’d take advantage of the buffet the hotel was offering and get them some food. She changed into clothes and left the room, the blonde still laying across the bed, half-asleep.

However, Eve had other plans. 

Food, yes. But, she went across the street to a jewelry store she saw as they pulled into the hotel last night. She made a mental note of it and planned to visit it today. Eve walked in, immediately feeling underdressed. She had just put on a plain black t-shirt and dark pants. Still, she felt as if she should be wearing designer clothes just to walk in. There were necklaces, rings, bracelets in glass cases everywhere. Let’s just say, she was _slightly_ overwhelmed.

Sensing this, a woman, who looked like she worked here, came up to her.

“Looking for something in particular, signora?” Eve was so happy she spoke English, she knew her Italian was atrocious. 

“Yes,” The brunette said confidently, “An engagement ring.”

\--------------

She knew Villanelle would still be asleep when she got back, so she took her time at the jewelry store and the buffet. She got what she wanted from both places and Eve came back to their room with several pastries and two coffees. Both coffees were for her. Most of the pastries were for Villanelle. To no one’s surprise, the blonde was now taking up the entire bed. The brunette chuckled and set the pastries and drinks down on the coffee table, putting what she had bought from the jewelry store in her purse. Eve went into the bathroom and in the extremely large shower.

When she was finished, she pulled on one of Villanelle’s shirts (that was hanging in the bathroom) and walked back out to the bedroom. She now found the blonde sitting up, still naked, on the edge of the bed. Eve wasn’t shocked at the sight, but she couldn’t help but stare at her for a few moments.

“Can I help you with something, Eve?” She smirked, loving the effect she still had on the other woman.

“Nope,” The brunette popped the p, finally tearing her eyes off the blonde, and moving to sit on the chair next to the coffee table.

Villanelle pulled on one of her thousands of silk robes and came over to the chair, sitting on Eve’s lap, and taking a croissant from the box. The brunette would be surprised at this action, but the blonde had done it so many times before. She’d realized Villanelle loved physical intimacy. Sex, of course, but hugs, kisses, holding hands. Simple stuff. She guessed this was because she’d never been given that by anyone before. But, the brunette was _more_ than happy to give it to her. 

They sat like this for a while, looking out at the gorgeous view. Villanelle’s arm around Eve’s neck, the other holding a flaky croissant. The brunette rubbing patterns on the blonde’s back, wrapping her arm around her waist while she sipped her coffee. She was smiling the whole time, thinking about what was sitting in her purse just a few feet away from them.

\---------------

They spent the next few days doing everything you can expect a couple to do in Rome. 

_The Colosseum:_ Which Villanelle was _very_ adamant about taking a 3-hour tour of. Eve enjoyed it, but the blonde asked the tour guide 50-questions about the gladiator tournaments that took place here. And, sure enough, the tour guide couldn’t answer _every_ question so Villanelle was slightly disappointed. But, on their way out, Eve assured her that Google would have all the answers to her questions.

_Trevi fountain:_ Eve had always dreamed of going to this fountain. She had read about the history of the Baroque art and the significance of throwing coins into the fountain. Villanelle had told her about the number of coins and that each number signifies different wishes the person has. One coin meant returning to Rome, two signified a new romance, while the third one is for marriage. Eve threw a coin in. Villanelle threw another one in, claiming that their romance _was_ considered new in comparison to the number of years they’d been alive. Eve couldn’t have agreed more because she threw a third coin in when the blonde wasn’t looking.

_Arch_ _of Constantine:_ Eve tried to make a joke. It backfired. She tried to make a joke about _their_ Konstantin, and how they made an arch after _him_ . Then Villanelle went in-depth on how this was _not_ an arch for their Konstantin but to the great Emperor Constantine and that this arc was dedicated to him to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. She discussed, at length, the display of soldiers, prisoners, and scenes of war, and what they meant. Eve found it endearing... at first. She tuned out after about 15 minutes. However, she did find it cute how interested the blonde was on so many topics. 

They even took a Paint & Sip class. Eve was in it for the Italian wine, painting with random colors and strokes, but when she looked over to Villanelle’s canvas, she almost dropped her glass. She had painted _them._ She and Eve, together. They were sitting next to each other on a bench outside the Pantheon. Villanelle must’ve drawn Eve from memory since the blonde hadn’t been looking at her during the class. But the painting… it was actually good. Eve thought she was slightly biased at first but then she saw other couples looking at Villanelle’s painting and then at their partners in jealousy. The brunette knew she had the most talented girlfriend and she insisted they keep the painting, despite how much it would cost to take home.

After _much_ discussion, Villanelle convinced the brunette to rent a Vespa. They went through St. Peter's square, admiring the view of the Vatican. Eve cut the ride short, though, as she knew she was starting to get motion sickness. She only agreed to do it because it made the blonde so happy. 

_Villa Borghese:_ Villanelle insisted that Eve would love it here. And she was right. The gardens provided a nice, quiet, and intimate escape, away from the rushing traffic that they had just been in. There were beautiful pathways throughout the park, allowing for a romantic walk with plenty of tree-shaded spots to stop and take in the view. Eve had read about this place, in the hotel’s pamphlet, and it said that there were small spaces where couples huddle among blooming flowers and were the perfect places for proposals. She liked this idea... but she had other plans. They went to the Pincio Gardens, which overlooked the Piazza del Popolo. 

Eve really did love it there. But it was starting to get late, so they went back to the hotel and then changed for dinner. 

Today was their last day in Italy. It was also the day Villanelle considered their one-year anniversary. The number of times she had mentioned it had gotten Eve to think it was too. She thought it was sweet how the blonde felt the first day they met was when she considered them to be together. She’d even said she “felt a connection that she knew wouldn’t go away.” And Eve couldn’t lie, she felt the same. However, if the brunette were asked, she’d say their relationship started when Villanelle officially asked her to be her girlfriend. But, just between the two of them, they’d know it was the first time they laid eyes on each other in that elevator.

Eve’s plans were also tonight. She’d always had trouble keeping secrets from people. And this, a huge secret, was especially difficult. But, tonight was _finally_ the night. 

\---------------

Villanelle wanted to look good. It was their last night in Rome. She also wanted to make Eve speechless, in which she was successful. She wore a _tight_ red V- neck dress, paired with black heels, and the necklace Eve had gotten her, obviously. When the brunette saw her as she walked out of the bathroom, specifically the amount of cleavage she was showing, her jaw _may_ have dropped.

“You look…” She couldn’t really find the word, as she was scanning the blonde who was skulking closer to her.

“Thank you, Eve. And you look…” The blonde bit her lip as her eyes roamed down the brunette’s body, “Sensazionale.” There were a billion more words she could say, but she decided on that one. And then she decided she should say it in Italian because she knew how the brunette felt about accents and languages.

Eve also had wanted to look good, wearing a navy mini dress with a slit neckline. Not as much cleavage, but it was definitely tight around her ass and hips. And as Villanelle’s hands started grabbing at both, it very much confirmed that.

“Do we _have_ to go to dinner?” Her eyes darkened as her lips brushed over Eve’s.

“Yes, we do. But, I promise, we will come back and we will...” She pecked the blonde’s lips and winked, “Well, you already know.” And she headed for the door.

\-----------

They ended up eating at Ristorante Sant'Elena Fontanella Borghese, which was only a 10-minute walk from their hotel. And it was the best spaghetti they ever had. They were both stuffed by the time they had finished.

_Darling you send me_

_I know you send me_

_Darling you send me_

_Honest you do, honest you do_

_Honest you do, whoa_

“Want to take a walk?” Eve asked deliberately. The sun was starting to go down and the Rome lights started to illuminate the streets. It was the perfect time.

_You thrill me_

_I know you, you, you thrill me_

_Darling you, you, you, you thrill me_

_Honest you do_

“Sure,” The blonde shrugged. And Eve led them to Sant’Angelo Bridge.

The brunette had obviously researched this bridge and the surrounding neighborhood. So, she ever so discreetly led Villanelle there, pretending she was just walking down random streets. They got to the bridge, walked on it, and Eve stopped them in the middle, after passing a few other couples who were also taking an evening stroll.

_At first I thought it was infatuation_

_But wooh, it's lasted so long_

_Now I find myself wanting_

_To marry you and take you home, woah_

The brunette took Villanelle’s wrist, stopping her from continuing down the bridge. She pulled her toward the edge, both of them looking down the Tiber River and seeing St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican lit up with bright lights. Eve was so entranced by the view she almost forgot why she was here.

“Are you okay?” The blonde asked, looking over to the woman next to her. 

She knew Eve had led them to this bridge. As much as Villanelle believed in her girlfriend’s abilities and intelligence, she knew she couldn’t have just stumbled upon one of the most famous bridges in Rome without any directions.

_You, you, you, you send me_

_I know you send me_

_I know you send me_

_Honest you do_

“That angel over there,” She ignored the blonde’s question and pointed passed her to one of the statues that lined the bridge, “Is called the Angel with a Lance. The inscription says ‘Thou hast ravished my heart’ in Latin.” Eve smiled at her because Villanelle didn’t know she knew Latin. She’d studied Latin at University, but it hadn’t come in handy until this trip. She saw the engraving as they passed the statue and wanted to mention it. Trust me, it fit the mood.

_Whoa, whenever I'm with you_

_I know, I know, I know when I'm near you_

_Mmm hmm, mmm hmm, honest you do, honest you do_

_Whoa, I know_

“It’s nice,” Villanelle turned her head to look back at the statue, still leaning her elbows on the bridge. She tilted her head back, getting a better view of that angel and the other ones that lined the bridge. There was one holding a cross, a veil, and maybe a column? She couldn’t really see that far.

“Was there a reason you-” The blonde started as she turned her head back toward Eve. But, as she looked back at the brunette, she was on the ground, well, she was actually on one knee and was holding a small velvet black box. Villanelle couldn’t finish her sentence. It didn’t matter. 

“I love you, V. You make me feel happier than I’ve ever felt before. God, you make me feel... like me. You allow me to be myself, completely. You support me constantly and I will _always_ support you and be here for you no matter what. You,” Eve swallowed, she didn’t expect to tear up saying this, as she had practiced it in her head at least 20 times, but here she was, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you and be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. So, Villanelle Astankova, will you do the honor of marrying me?” She opened the box, revealing a three-stone diamond engagement ring with a trio of diamond cuts, a larger one with two smaller diamonds on the sides. It wasn’t _that_ extravagant but she knew Villanelle would love it.

The blonde was speechless. She had never thought about marriage. Not because she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life with Eve, because she really did. She just never had a good experience with marriage. Her parents were… they had a terrible marriage and she _definitely_ didn’t want that. She didn’t want her and Eve getting married to ruin things. Except, she knew, for some reason, that being married to Eve was what she was meant to do. Being this woman’s wife was what she’d been waiting her whole life for. 

_I know, I know, I know, when you hold me_

_Whoa, whenever you kiss me_

_Mmm hmm, mmm hmm, honest you do_

“Of course I’ll marry you, polpetta!” Villanelle held her left hand out, and Eve naturally slid the ring on her fourth finger, it was a perfect fit, “Now come up here.” 

Eve stood up in a state of euphoria. The love of her life had just accepted her proposal. She was getting married to this woman and she couldn’t be happier. 

The blonde pulled her close.

“You’re already the best thing that has ever happened to me,” She whispered before she pulled her _fiancé_ in for a kiss. It felt like the first time, but even better. Villanelle even heard clapping in her head like the Universe is saying “Good job, you’re doing something right!” Except… there really was clapping. 

Eve pulled back from her and looked around, where she saw a few couples and a small family, smiling at them and clapping. Maybe, that _was_ the Universe’s way of telling them that they were doing something right.

_At first I thought it was infatuation_

_But wooh, it's lasted so long_

_Now I find myself wanting_

_To marry you and take you home_

“I can’t believe you said yes,” The brunette said on their way back to the hotel.

“I can’t believe you asked,” The blonde countered, looking down at her hand, turning it back and forth to admire the diamonds.

“Do you like it? I tried to go for something big but not _too_ big.” 

“I love it…” Villanelle smiled at her, then furrowed her brow and looked down, “Wait, we need to get you one.”

“No, V, we do not need to do that,” Eve laughed lightly, “I do not need an engagement ring.”

_I know, I know, I know, you send me_

_I know you send me_

_Whoa, you you you you send me_

_Honest you do_

“I’m not taking no for an answer!” Villanelle scanned her surroundings, her eyes landing on the exact jewelry store Eve had gone to earlier, “We’re getting you one and then _I_ get to propose!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this & the next 2 chapters r my fav in the entire fic, hope u like them!  
> all the places mentioned r real and i did a lot of research but plz correct me if i messed up on anything  
> posted pics of the hotel room on [twitter](https://twitter.com/villanellesgun) if u wanna look at it
> 
> love u all!
> 
> kira x


	29. I do.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MARRIAGE TIME!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really didn't know if i was gonna post this... but here we are. sorry for the slight delay.
> 
> this one's long and emotional and hella HELLA soft, so be warned.
> 
> songs in this chapter: All Of Me - John Legend.  
> yeah, i told you it would be emotional.
> 
> please enjoy!

**Chapter 29**

_ 2 months later _

Eve was exhausted. Since Italy, even though she was only there for a week, coming back to work every morning felt harder and harder. However, her travel time to the hospital was still much shorter since she’d moved into Villanelle’s apartment. Meaning she could wake up about 15 minutes later than she had before. She savored those 15 minutes. 

Her and Villanelle had been together for over a year. It didn’t feel like it. To Eve, it felt like the blonde had just swooped in and changed her entire world but it also felt like she’d been in her life forever. Time was weird. 

But what was even weirder was that she was  _ engaged.  _ She’d been engaged for two months and they’d started to discuss the wedding. They both didn’t want too big of an affair, just close friends and family. What they were struggling with, however, was the venue. Eve said she didn’t care. She and Niko got married in some church she had no connection to, so, to her, the venue didn’t matter. Villanelle, on the other hand, was in a bit of a frenzy. Every minute she was with Eve, thinking about Eve, looking at Eve, touching Eve, she fell more in love. She knew it was love. It was so much love that it was marriage… Well,  _ almost _ marriage. She had, obviously, never been married before. She’d never been even close to marriage before. 

Nevertheless, the blonde had seen many movies. She’d seen those big fancy marriages on film, so that’s what she assumed they’d be like. But she knew Eve didn’t want a big wedding and since her friends were Eve’s friends, they wouldn’t be inviting too many people, anyway. What Villanelle had also seen in the movies were the superstitions regarding good luck and bad luck. Not seeing the bride’s wedding dress before the wedding, being married in a ruined church brought good luck to the couple, and running out of a church hand-in-hand. Stuff like that. She’d been on the internet researching  _ a lot.  _

And Eve was scared.

“Eve, did you know it is unlucky to be married in green?” Villanelle was on her computer, sitting on the couch. It was Saturday afternoon and her fiancée was taking a nap, with the blonde sitting at the opposite end of the sofa.

“Luckily, I wasn’t planning on wearing green,” The brunette mumbled, her eyes closed. 

Villanelle was researching marriage traditions and superstitions constantly. It was starting to annoy Eve and it was worrying her even more. The blonde was obviously very nervous and didn’t want anything to go wrong. Eve knew everything would be fine but no matter how many times she said that to Villanelle, the blonde was  _ insistent _ on not taking any chances.

“Also, wearing orange blossoms is good luck,” The blonde says, pointing at her computer screen, reading whatever article she’d pulled up now.

“I’m not wearing an orange blossom,” Eve sat up, looking at her fiancée, “Sorry babe.”

“Okay fine, but that means we can’t get married on a Saturday.”

“Why?” She sighed.

“It’s unlucky,” She said as if it was obvious, turning to the brunette, “Wednesday is luckiest.”

“Sweetheart, I’m sure whatever day of the week we get married will be just fine.” She smiled, trying her best to assure the blonde. Villanelle’s heart skipped a beat when she heard ‘sweetheart’. It was her favorite name Eve called her.

“I just want to make sure there is no bad luck whatsoever. That means we can’t see each other the day of the wedding, we have to get married Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and we should probably wear white,” The blonde turned back to the computer, starting to type something in, “Hmm, but maybe I should wear black...”

“Villanelle?” Eve tried. She needed to shut this craziness down.

“Hmm?” She didn’t look up, scrolling through the Google search results.

“Oksana.” 

“What?” She snapped. She knew the brunette only used that name if she  _ needed  _ her attention.

“You’re acting crazy. These are old superstitions and traditions that mean nothing, I promise that we will be fine with whatever we do.” She put her hand on the blonde’s forearm, trying to confirm that she had understood what she was trying to say, but Villanelle stood abruptly.

“Don’t call me crazy Eve,” Her voice broke a little, “I’m just trying to make sure our wedding is  _ perfect!”  _ Then she turned on her heel and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door.

“Fuck,” The brunette put her hand in her hands. 

Why had she said crazy? When they first broke up all those months ago, she had called her crazy for risking her career for Anna and all that. Villanelle had said the same thing. Don’t call her crazy. Eve never asked why. She didn’t need to. She knew it had something to do with her childhood and she didn’t want to push.

They hadn’t fought since then. Sure, they had small arguments about Eve’s choice in clothing or Villanelle’s persistence in spicing up her closet but  _ small _ things. Never something that went into childhood or Anna territory. It wasn’t off-limits, but Eve never felt the need to go back there. It had almost cost them their relationship once and she wasn’t going to risk it again.

She waited for about an hour. She couldn’t take a nap so she mostly sat there, thinking about what she wanted to say. When she felt enough time had gone by, she stood up and gingerly knocked on the bedroom door.

“V?”

She waited for a moment. She heard sniffling.

“Come in,” The blonde croaked.

Villanelle was sitting, her arms wrapped around her knees, on the bed. Her mascara was running, but only a little bit. Eve walked in and sat across from her, mirroring her position. The brunette had planned a whole speech, well, a small speech, but all the words and sentences left her mind when she sat in front of the blonde. She was looking down, twiddling her thumbs, and sniffling every few seconds.

“I shouldn’t have called you crazy,” Eve announced, simply.

Villanelle didn’t say anything.

“Why did... why does that word make you upset?” Eve asked, tentatively. She had an idea of what the blonde’s answer would be, but she never really knew what to expect. 

“As a child,” Villanelle sighed, she was finally ready to tell her, “I was called psycho. Or a psychopath because I didn’t… process emotions the same way everyone else did. I sat alone, I had little friends. I liked it like that.  _ I _ thought it was fine. But… my dad… he didn’t. He called me crazy a lot.”

“V, I’m so sorry,” The brunette reached over, putting her hands over Villanelle’s, “I had no idea.”

“Anna called me a psychopath when she came to the hospital,” She finally looked up, making eye contact, “That was why I left… to go for a walk.” 

“And why you punched a brick wall?” Eve smirked.

The blonde shrugged, smiling back at her.

“Your traditions aren’t stupid,” The brunette started, coming back to the speech she had prepared, “I just… I was married before. And we got married in a church and we didn’t see each other on the day of the wedding and it… it went terribly. The marriage, I mean.”

“What day did you get married?” Villanelle asked, looking all too serious.

“Friday.”

“Tsk, unlucky day,” She scoffed, smirking.

“My point is, I know it won’t be like that with you. No matter how many traditions or superstitions we do or don’t do, it’ll be perfect,” Eve cupped the Villanelle’s cheeks, “Because I’ll be getting married to  _ you.” _

Villanelle wasn’t going to put up the self-assured, self-confident act. She was marrying this woman. This woman who had just told her that _.  _ Who cares about traditions anyway? They were  _ far _ from traditional.

“Okay,” The blonde leaned into Eve’s touch, “Can we have just one tradition though?”

“Depends.”

“I don’t want to see you on the wedding day.”

“Ouch.” The brunette smiled, holding a hand to her heart.

“No, I mean,” Villanelle reassured the other woman it wasn’t because she didn’t think she was gorgeous, “I just want to build up the excitement and make it a surprise when I see you walk down the aisle when you look so beautiful.”

Eve was blushing. She couldn’t believe they were getting married. The day couldn’t come soon enough.

“Sure.” The brunette leaned in and kissed her fiancée.

\------------------

_ 2 months later  _

Today was the day. Their wedding day.

It was late summer and they had decided on getting married at Hampton Court Palace in Southwest London. While Eve said she didn’t care where they got married, most places they visited had reminded her of Niko. They had visited plenty of places around London and Eve refused to get married in a place she and Niko even considered. Villanelle understood so she looked for small places, under the radar kind of venues. When she described Hampton Court Palace and Eve hadn’t heard of it, they knew it would be perfect.

They’d only been to the venue once (before today) and they both fell in love.  It was filled with centuries of royal history, something Villanelle loved, along with historic architecture, rose red Tudor, stone archways, and gorgeous gardens. The blonde knew this would be great for backgrounds for wedding photos, not that Eve was worried. There were two options for ceremonies. The Garden Room and Banqueting House. The Little Banqueting House held 50 ceremony guests; the larger Garden Room accommodated 180 guests for a civil ceremony and reception. They went with the Banqueting House.

Eve woke up at Elena’s. The registrar offered for the brunette to stay there when she heard about her and Villanelle’s ‘agreement’ - that they wouldn’t see each other on the wedding day. Eve thought she would be okay with it, but as she was waking up, she knew these next few hours were going to be very difficult. She wanted to be with the blonde right now. She didn’t want to wait. But she knew that waiting would make the eventual union even better. Elena woke her up because even on her wedding day, Eve wasn’t a morning person. When she finally started to get ready, she saw her dress hanging on the back of the bathroom door, and she knew the next few hours truly couldn't go fast enough.

Villanelle was feeling similar. She wanted everything to be perfect. She woke up early and started to get ready but she wanted to wake up  _ with _ Eve and she wanted to get ready  _ with _ Eve. All she wanted was to see the brunette walking down the aisle in her wedding dress and become her wife. Obviously, she hadn’t seen her dress yet. And Eve hadn’t seen hers yet. The blonde had been completely torn between wearing a suit or a dress, so she went shopping for both. She loved shopping, so she didn’t mind it being time-consuming but when she saw  _ this _ dress, she knew it was the one.

\----------------

“I’m scared, Elena,” Eve said to her best friend as she zipped up her wedding dress.

“Why?” She looked at the consultant through the mirror, finishing the with the zipper, resting her head on her best friend’s shoulder, “She’s perfect for you.”

“I don’t want to fuck up,” She sighed, turning to her maid of honor, “She means so much to me that I can’t lose her and I don’t-” She started to do what Eve does, panic.

“Eve. Look at me,” She put her hands on the brunette’s shoulders, trying to steady her, “You’re not going to fuck up. You may do stupid shit sometimes, but this girl puts up with it. So go wife her up!”

They hear a knock at the door. It’s Bill. 

“It’s almost time.” He says, peeking his head through the door.

“Oh god.” 

“Hey, everything’s going to be fine.” The registrar hugs her best friend.

“Can I have a few minutes alone?,” Eve looks between Bill and Elena, “Just to calm down.”

Both of her friends nod and leave the room, smiling at the nervous bride.

\-----------------

Villanelle was also freaking out. She was a couple of doors down and all she could think about was how many steps there were between her and Eve’s room. She imagined her getting into her dress, doing her hair (the blonde had basically begged her to leave her hair down), doing her makeup. Everything. The blonde had been standing in front of the mirror for 15 minutes. She knew she looked good, but all she was thinking about was Eve. She was going to be her wife. All she wanted to do was kiss her. Right. Now. She didn’t want to wait any longer.

That was her excuse when she walked down the hall, only 17 steps, to Eve’s door. She didn’t hear anything, other than heels on the wooden floor, so she opened the door and rushed in, quickly closing it behind her.

“Oh my god! V!” Eve tried to cover her dress with her arms, but to no avail, Villanelle saw it all, “What are you doing here? You said we weren’t supposed to see each other before the wedding!”

“I just…..” The blonde walked slowly toward her, looking at her fiancée up and down.

She looked like an angel. It was a white ball gown dress with a fitted bodice and a wide, full skirt. It cinched her waist and the dress flowed behind her, making her look even more angelic. It had a slight V neckline, embroidered with subtle silver lacing. Her make up was light, a little eyeliner, and mascara along with small silver hoop earrings. Subtle but beautiful. Her hair was down, thank God. Villanelle had ever seen someone more gorgeous.

“I had to see you.” She finally said, Eve slowly putting her arms back to her sides.

The brunette eventually focused on the blonde and her _ dress _ . The registrar had frequently spoken about her conflict: dress or suit? White or black? 

Eve recognized it was a white A-line dress. It created an “A” shape on her body, as it flared out from her waist, but less dramatically as Eve’s ball gown. It was all white. No lace. No embroidery. It was very… plain. In a good way, of course. But it wasn’t very  _ Villanelle _ . However, she easily made it work. Both had decided against veils, they were too much hassle and Villanelle didn’t want Eve’s hair covered up in any way. The blonde was wearing the gold necklace she’d gotten her, and on her open neck, it was more noticeable and emphasized her collar bone. Beautiful, Eve thought.

“But what about the tradition?” Eve mumbled, the women being inches apart now.

“That tradition was stupid,” She wrapped her hands around Eve’s waist, and the brunette wrapped her hands around her fiancée’s neck as she started to forget about the tradition, “It was for arranged marriages. They were scared that if the couples saw each other, they’d stop the wedding,” Villanelle dropped her forehead to Eve’s, “But I love you and no superstition is going to change that.”

“I love you too.” The brunette murmurs. She was so in love with this woman. Could they get married right here?

“This morning was really hard.” 

“Oh, yeah?” The brunette smirked.

“I can’t go hours without seeing you. It’s too long. I miss you too much.” Villanelle basically whined.

“You know what?” Eve starts, “I think it’s good luck to see the bride before the wedding. Because then we can have that kiss that we can’t have out there because everyone would get  _ way _ too jealous.”

“Oh well, we can’t have that.” The blonde smirks, lowering her lips closer to Eve’s.

“No, we can’t.” The brunette purred, closing the distance between them.

Eve moaned as soon as their lips met and Villanelle echoed it just because she could. One of the blonde’s hands tightens around Eve’s waist but the other buries itself in dark curls. She tilts Eve’s head upward and captures her bottom lip between her own. The brunette’s hands are everywhere. They started at her back but they’re on her arms, her lower back, her shoulders before they settle on her jaw. Both thumbs trace the edge between chin and cheekbone. 

Villanelle tugs at her, the fingers at the back of Eve’s head pulling her deeper into her mouth, harder against her lips. The brunette sighs into the kiss and the blonde can’t help the hitch of her breath that comes as a response. Villanelle wants to hear it again and again and again. Forever. And the thing is, she will.

They have to break away to breathe, with almost no space between them. 

“I cannot wait for tonight.” The blonde’s eyes were dark, still focusing on the brunette’s lips.

“Well, we have to go get married first.” Eve laughs, breathily.

“Yes, we do.”

\---------------

The Banqueting House is beautiful. It was a large room. Big windows gave views over the River Thames, as well as the Tudor and Baroque architecture of Hampton Court Palace. The interior is covered with spectacular paintings and ceiling murals by Antonio Verrio, which dated to the 18th century. There were about 50 golden chairs, 25 on each side of the room, filled with mostly St. Thomas staff (well, the ones that Villanelle tolerated and Eve liked). Carolyn even showed up which the blonde found funny since she hadn’t been the most ecstatic when she first heard about their relationship. The chairs led up to the end of the room, where Villanelle was standing next to the wedding officiant. She insisted on Eve walking down the aisle after her. The blonde said she wanted to see Eve walk down more than  _ anything _ . 

About a month ago, Villanelle asked Konstantin to walk her down and he eagerly agreed. Obviously, her own father wouldn’t walk her down and she looked up to Konstantin, in a fatherly way. She would never say it, but she was very thankful to have him. Elena was up there too. She was Eve’s maid-of-honor, clearly. She assumed the role before Eve had even asked. Kenny was next to Elena since they came as a pair nowadays and the brunette needed at least one bridesmaid. Kenny would suffice.

Villanelle was standing next to Konstantin when she saw people start to turn their heads, waiting on the brunette’s arrival. 

_ What would I do without your smart mouth? _

_ Drawing me in, and you kicking me out _

_ You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down _

She waited a moment and then Eve walked through the door, arms linked with Bill. It was hard to ask Bill, for the second time, to walk her down the aisle. He did at her and Niko’s wedding, despite his dislike for the man. The brunette had invited both Niko and Gemma since she was the bigger person and she, after discussing it with Villanelle, decided to take the high road. The blonde was insistent on them making amends, but Eve knew she just wanted to show her off. Which she loved. She wanted to as well. She wanted to say “Hey look, Niko! This is my wife! Isn’t she hot?” However, she decided that if Niko did come, he would just see for himself. Except, he hadn’t RSVP’d, so the brunette assumed he wouldn’t be coming today. It didn’t surprise her how little it affected her. 

Eve asked her mom if it was alright for Bill to walk her down the aisle… again. It was difficult for the other woman as well, having pictured her and her husband there for their daughter’s wedding. But she was more than happy for Eve. She loved Villanelle like a daughter so Ms. Park watched from the front row, next to Bill’s wife and daughter, as Eve walked down the aisle.

_ What's going on in that beautiful mind? _

_ I'm on your magical mystery ride _

_ And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright _

The blonde felt like she had a lump in her throat. Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t say anything, even if she wanted to. She had just seen Eve about 10 minutes ago, but every time the brunette took her breath away. And now she was walking toward her, smiling at her, about to get married  _ to her _ . She’d definitely had this dream before, but it still hadn’t been as perfect as this. When Eve finally got up to her, she moved to stand across from Villanelle, who turned toward her, her eyes never leaving hers. Bill kissed the brunette on the cheek and sat down next to his wife. 

“You look stunning,” Eve whispered, leaning toward the blonde a little, winking.

“You are,” Villanelle’s mouth opened but no words came out, “I don’t even have words.”

Make Villanelle speechless: check. 

_ My head's underwater _

_ But I'm breathing fine _

_ You're crazy and I'm out of my mind _

“We’re all here today to celebrate the relationship of Eve Polastri and Villanelle Astankova and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they share with one another,” The officiant gestured between the two women, who were now holding hands, “Together we’re a group of the most important people in their lives and they’ve brought us here to publicly recognize that we’ve all played some special part in the love they share today.”

“I love you.” Villanelle mouthed to Eve as the officiant spoke. The brunette did the same. 

_ 'Cause all of me _

_ Loves all of you _

_ Love your curves and all your edges _

_ All your perfect imperfections _

“A good marriage must be built on the foundation of this commitment. In marriage, the ‘little’ things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say, “I love you” at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner — it is  _ being _ the right partner,” Eve felt a tear roll down her face, but the blonde was quick to wipe it with her thumb, even though she ‘technically’ wasn’t supposed to, “The road that has brought Eve and Villanelle here today hasn’t been easy. It’s been filled with challenges that they weren’t necessarily prepared for. But together they’ve taken each one on and have used those experiences to strengthen, not weaken their love.”

“Now,” He continues, “Do you have vows prepared?” 

The women nodded. Elena hands Eve a sheet of paper and Villanelle reaches into her bra and slips out a small sheet of paper as well. The brunette couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course, that’s where she put her  _ vows _ .

“Eve, would you like to go first?” 

_ Give your all to me _

_ I'll give my all to you _

_ You're my end and my beginning _

_ Even when I lose I'm winning _

The brunette nods, unfolding her sheet of paper and clearing her throat.

"Villanelle, I want so badly to be able to explain all the love I have for you. Not just the butterflies in my stomach love—but more blurring of self and the entanglement with another soul kind of love. Love is a word that is so soft and used too often to ever describe the fierce, infinite passion I have in my heart for you... You are truly the kindest, silliest, and smartest person I have ever met. Your laugh is contagious and you can put away a container of ice cream in one sitting like nobody else. You acknowledge my strengths and accept my faults,” Eve’s voice was starting to waver, as she looked up into those hazel eyes. Villanelle was smiling with tears streaming down her face. She could even see Konstantin behind the blonde, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, and she could definitely hear sniffling coming from Elena.

_ 'Cause I give you all of me _

_ And you give me all of you, oh-oh _

She continued, “You make me want to be a better person every day. I take you as you are now, tomorrow, and forever, to be my wife. Even when the day comes when we're old and gray, and I’ll be first, I know,” The crowd laughs, Villanelle included, “I promise to always see you the same. With the same eyes and the same heart that I see you with right now. I vow to honor you, respect you, support you, and encourage you in everything you do. I promise to dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk beside you through whatever life brings. I promise to laugh with you and comfort you during times of happiness and times of sadness. I promise to always pursue you, to fight for you, and to love you unconditionally and wholeheartedly for the rest of my life. I promise to keep our relationship fun and not let the monotony of life dull our adventures, even though I know you wouldn’t let that happen. As your wife, I will make sure to always remind you just how important you are to me, even if you get tired of hearing it. I promise to never let us go to bed mad because this life is too short to spend even a second angry at one another. I promise to inspire you and help you grow as an individual so that we can grow stronger as one. And I pinky promise,” She smiled and held up her pinky, the blonde quickly wrapping hers around Eve’s, “To love you unconditionally. And while our youth may fade away, your smile will always remind me of that time I first saw you in that stupid, beautiful elevator. I love you completely and utterly Villanelle and I am the luckiest person on Earth to call you mine."

_ How many times do I have to tell you? _

_ Even when you're crying, you're beautiful too _

_ The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood _

Villanelle was crying. She didn’t care. She didn’t care at all. Eve had just said  _ that _ to her and meant every word. Of course, she was going to cry.

“And, Villanelle?” The officiant gestured toward her.

“I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to top  _ that _ but okay.” She started to unfold her paper, Eve chuckling as tears rolled down her face even harder. 

_ You're my downfall, you're my muse _

_ My worst distraction, my rhythm, and blues _

_ I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you _

"I'm so proud that today I become your wife,” She began, “I love you, Eve. Every single part of you. I love that you always push my hair back when it's in my face. Especially at that time when I was throwing up because I drank too much,” The crowd (specifically Elena and Hugo) erupted in laughter, “I love that I get a kiss from you every time we run into each other at work. I love that you hold my hand whenever we go out on a walk. Yes, I love how absolutely beautiful you are, and how you look like a model when you’re not even trying, but that's just the icing on the cake. And  _ that _ is actually an expression I learned from you. I love that you teach me new things every day. I love your heart. You are the most giving, selfless person I know and I thank whatever force is out there in the Universe every day that you have given that love to me, without hesitation,” Villanelle clears her throat, her tears still coming. Eve was about to sob. She could see how much effort the blonde put into this, knowing how hard this emotional vulnerability was for her. Just for your information, Villanelle spent two weeks writing her vows.

_ My head's underwater _

_ But I'm breathing fine _

_ You're crazy and I'm out of my mind _

Villanelle went on, “Today, I want to make promises to you that I will always keep. I promise to never stop holding your hand. I promise to make sure I'm not just hungry when I get upset. Which happens a lot. I promise to share my food with you because you know I have great taste, and to never go to bed angry and to always honor your passion for medicine and surgery. I promise to stand by your side while you face the world and to listen to you when you speak. I promise to grow alongside you, but also to never grow up. I promise to love, respect, protect, and trust you, and to give you the best of myself because I know that together we will build a life that is so much better than we could’ve imagined alone. I promise to choose you over and over and over, without a doubt, I'll always keep choosing you, Eve. You have made me the best version of myself. I used to never enjoy moments because I was always waiting for what's next, the next thing to happen. But now that I have you, I enjoy every single moment. This journey, this adventure that we are on, has already challenged us to work through things and to become stronger in our communication and our commitment to our love. I have never been more adored or felt more safe or trusted than I do when I’m with you. The trust that we have built, that we have worked so hard to protect, is invaluable. So thank you. Because while today seems like it's the start of a new journey, it isn’t. I already belong to you. I always have. Falling for you wasn't falling at all. It was walking into a house, or in our case, an elevator, and knowing you are home. Forever and always, you are mine and I am yours."

_ 'Cause all of me _

_ Loves all of you _

_ Love your curves and all your edges _

_ All your perfect imperfections _

Eve was absolutely sobbing now. Her mascara was probably everywhere. They both decided to do vows but she didn’t expect Villanelle to say anything like  _ that.  _ The blonde had tears running down her face too, but she was smiling. She was looking at her wife. Well, almost wife. Speaking of, she needed the officiant to hurry this up.

“Can we kiss now?” Villanelle asked the officiant, jumping up and down like a child. 

“Almost. We just need the rings,” He smiled, looking at Elena and Konstantin.

Elena handed Eve a ring and Konstantin did the same to the blonde.

_ Give your all to me _

_ I'll give my all to you _

_ You're my end and my beginning _

_ Even when I lose I'm winning _

“Eve, Do you take Villanelle to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?” He looked at Eve.

_ 'Cause I give you all of me _

_ And you give me all of you, oh-oh _

_ Give me all of you, oh _

**“** I do.” She announced, putting the ring on Villanelle’s fourth finger.

_ Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts _

_ Risking it all, though it's hard _

“And Villanelle – do you take Eve to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

_ 'Cause all of me _

_ Loves all of you _

_ Love your curves and all your edges _

_ All your perfect imperfections _

**“** I do.” The blonde said, and before he even finished, Villanelle was setting the ring on the brunette’s finger.

_ Give your all to me _

_ I'll give my all to you _

_ You're my end and my beginning _

“Well,” The officiant smiled at both of them, taking a step back, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may kiss your bride.” He gestured between them. 

_ Even when I lose I'm winning _

_ 'Cause I give you all of me _

_ And you give me all of you _

Villanelle basically lunged at Eve, capturing her lips with her own. Again, just like when the brunette had proposed in Italy, there was clapping. And while they knew it was the crowd of their friends and family, they both couldn’t help feel it was the Universe congratulating them on finding each other.

_ I give you all of me _

_ And you give me all of you. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and yes, before you comment, i did completely pull a Brittana there. i had the opportunity and i went for it. also, all the places mentioned are totally real and i posted pics on my twitter if u wanna see;)
> 
> wow only one. more. chapter!!! crazy stuff. thanks for being on this journey w me <3
> 
> love you all so much, 
> 
> kira x


	30. At Last.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here it is!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh this is it, folks! well, not forever but you know what i mean.  
> sorry it's so short but it is what it is.
> 
> please listen to At Last by Etta James before/after/as you read <3
> 
> thank you for reading, here's the finale!

**Chapter 30**

The reception was starting to die down, it was getting late, and the sun was setting. A few of the older attendees, mostly ones with young children, were starting to head home. The reception had been pretty informal, people mingling throughout the halls, taking pictures, drinking, whatever they wanted. However, this meant the newlyweds hadn’t been able to see each other as much as they’d like, as they had to  _ actually _ attend to their guests. Make conversation, say ‘thank you’ after every ‘congratulations.' That kind of thing. Both of them appreciated the overwhelming support from their peers, but they wanted to spend quality time with each other. It’d been a long time coming, and they were wives now, after all.

_ At last my love has come along _

_ My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah _

The reception was taking place both inside and out. The women had reserved the private outside terrace since they knew London wouldn’t be  _ that  _ cold today. And it was stunning. There were tables and chairs outside the doors of the Banqueting Room with a few guests still chatting and drinking outside (as there was a bar, of course), but most had migrated inside, saying their goodbyes to each other. 

Eve, still in her wedding dress, was finally able to go outside and look for Villanelle. She had escaped another conversation discussing what was next for the couple and while she didn’t know  _ exactly _ what was next (other than a way too expensive honeymoon Villanelle would insist they go on), she knew they just wanted to be together. As the brunette walked out of the hall and on to the private garden, she saw the blonde. She was sitting underneath the brightly lit gazebo, which was in the middle of the garden. She looked beautiful, of course. Like an angel.

Villanelle had also just escaped from guests, badgering her about God knows what. She tuned them out but gave a ‘thanks’ here and there. All she could think about was her  _ wife.  _ A wife who she could hear was walking up to her so she stood up and turned to her.

_ At last the skies above are blue _

_ My heart was wrapped up clover the night I looked at you _

“Hi,” Eve whispered as she moved up to her, nervous all of a sudden.

“Hi,” The blonde responded, still admiring how beautiful her wife looked in that wedding dress.

“How are you?” 

“I miss you.” 

“But I’m right here,” The brunette retorted, Villanelle giving her a look, “I know what you mean. Entertaining guests is hard. And I missed you too.”

They were standing in front of each other now, in the middle of the gazebo. The London sky was clear and filled with stars, the light from them, and the ones wrapped around the gazebo illuminated onto their skin.

_ I found a dream that I could speak to _

_ A dream that I can call my own _

“You’re my wife now,” Villanelle said after a moment, stepping closer to her. It still felt surreal. 

“I am,” Eve countered, also taking a step forward, their bodies only inches apart. “And you are  _ my _ wife.”

“We should dance.” 

“Dance?”

“Don’t newlyweds dance? I saw it on Twilight. Didn’t Jacob and Bella...” She furrowed her brow in thought. Obviously, she wasn’t sure about the dance protocol during weddings. Or the plot of Twilight.

“Well, Jacob and Bella didn’t get married, they danced but it was Edward who… you know what? It doesn’t matter,” She smiled, putting the blonde’s hands on her own waist and wrapping her hands around Villanelle’s neck, “I would love to dance with you. And I really like this song.” 

They could hear the music from the Banqueting Room. They asked Hugo to be somewhat of a ‘DJ’ because they didn’t have to pay him that much, and he apparently did a few gigs on weekends (to get some extra cash and meet girls).

The brunette moved closer to Villanelle as they swayed to the soft music. Both just listening to the song and each other’s breathing. The blonde had taken one of Eve’s arms away from her neck and held her hand as if they were slow dancing. They were… kinda slow dancing? It was a little awkward, but it was perfectly _ them. _

_ I found a thrill to press my cheek to _

_ A thrill I've never known, oh yeah _

Sure, they  _ may _ have knocked into each other’s feet a couple of times but they continued to move around the floor of the small gazebo, neither of them caring about anything else. Villanelle leaned closer to the brunette as they remained quiet, simply enjoying each other’s company. Eve moved into the blonde as they danced and leaned her chin on her shoulder. The brunette felt Villanelle pull her in. She loved their closeness. She missed it.

It had only been a couple of hours of talking to guests, but  _ this _ was all she wanted. Being pulled toward Villanelle. Toward her wife. In a way, she had been all along. If there was one thing these two women had shown each other, it was that fate existed. They were each other’s destiny. There was an unexplainable and unbreakable force between them that would guide them to each other forever. It guided them into the elevator on that Monday morning, it guided them back to each other after they broke up, it guided them to get married, and it was what guided them to be dancing under this gazebo right now.

Eve’s arm was tight around the blonde’s back, with one hand now in her hair, as she settled her head back on Villanelle's shoulder. Fate. It was weird, you never feel it until  _ after _ something happened. You look back and realize, oh. That’s what that was. As they danced, they realized. They knew it all along.

_ You smiled, you smiled oh and then the spell was cast _

_ And here we are in Heaven _

“I could do this forever,” The blonde announced, pulling the brunette closer.

“You’d probably get tired after a while,” Eve smirked against her, receiving a little nudge from Villanelle, “But… I could too.”

_ For you are mine at last _

The thing is, they did have forever. 

_ fin. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't wanna be too soft but i really do wanna thank all of those who have been here since the beginning or have just hopped on this wagon. ur support and encouragement really does mean the world. i love you guys. & Specialties is my baby and it is not over!! our doctor wives and their story are far from finished so stay tuned:)
> 
> thank you for everything, 
> 
> kira x

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I made Konstantin the Cardio consultant -- I'm not evil, I promise.  
> And yes, I made Villanelle's old hospital in Liverpool ;)
> 
> Let me know if you enjoyed this!! I'm on Twitter @villanellesgun, come talk to me!


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